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Mike CoppingerESPN
Star boxer Ryan Garcia and trainer Joe Goossen have parted ways in the aftermath of the seventh-round KO loss to Gervonta Davis in Las Vegas last month, sources told ESPN on Monday.
No decision has been made on Garcia’s next trainer, sources said, as he looks to continue his quest for a 140-pound title shot.
Goossen didn’t respond to a text message seeking comment.
Garcia (23-1, 19 KOs) and Goossen first teamed when Garcia was still growing up as an amateur boxer in Southern California. Garcia was trained by his father, Henry Garcia, for most of his pro fights, but Eddy Reynoso took control of the corner in 2018.
Reynoso, Canelo Alvarez’s longtime trainer, guided Garcia to five wins in five bouts, including his seventh-round TKO of Luke Campbell. Following that career-best victory, Garcia was out of the ring for 15 months while he addressed his mental health and recovered from wrist surgery.
When Garcia returned in April 2022, there was a familiar face in his corner alongside his father: Goossen. The 24-year-old was trained by Goossen, 69, for three fights: a decision win over Emmanuel Tagoe in April, a sixth-round KO of Javier Fortuna in July and finally, the loss to “Tank” Davis.
The first two fights with Goossen took place at 140 pounds, while the super fight vs. Davis — boxing’s biggest revenue generator in years — was contested at a 136-pound catchweight.
Garcia, who fights out of Los Angeles, is ESPN’s No. 6 junior welterweight. He said at the post-fight news conference that he would return to 140 pounds where he feels stronger and faster.
“I’m still a big attraction in the sport,” said Garcia, “and … I think whoever I fight, it’s going to be big.”
During a career that started in 1969, Goossen has trained some of the world’s best fighters at his Ten Goose Boxing Gym in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles; including The Ruelas brothers; Shane Mosley; Michael Nunn; Joel Casamayor and Riddick Bowe.
But he’s best known for his instructions to Diego Corrales before he scored the come-from-behind TKO victory against Jose Luis Castillo in 2015 in one of the most dramatic moments in boxing history.
Garcia, with 10.4 million Instagram followers and another 5.5 million on TikTok, is one of boxing’s most-recognizable names. He’s promoted by Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya, but just who will be leading his corner remains to be seen.