Ryan Garcia is ready for a rugged dog fight when he takes on Emmanuel Tagoe on April 9 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) has not fought in nearly 15 months, and he realizes that Tagoe will want to take advantage of any potential ring rust.
“I don’t care if it’s a hard fight. Styles make fights. If this somehow ends up as a hard fight, I’m going to find a way to win because I actually like when it’s hard. It makes you go to a different gear,” said Garcia. “I got a feeling it can end through three rounds because he does open up a lot. He may be fast, but he throws kind of crazy. If you give me that window, I can find a window, trust me. So he better be careful. If not, if he makes it hard, let’s go. It’s a fight anyways.”
Tagoe (32-1, 15 KOs) has not lost since his pro debut in 2004.
Garcia is cognizant that he could be the latest chapter in boxing’s book of upsets if he doesn’t take Tagoe seriously.
“I don’t take anybody lightly. You see upsets happen. I would be a fool if I just think I am going to go in there and run him over. I’m going to go in there, take it seriously and find my shot. That’s it,” said Garcia.
There have been plenty of changes in Garcia’s life since he got off the canvas to stop Luke Campbell on Jan. 2, 2021. Garcia took an extended break from boxing last April to focus on his mental health and forgoed an announced bout with Javier Fortuna. Once Garcia got back into the groove, a right-hand injury in October resulted in surgery.
In February, Garcia split from 2019 and 2021 trainer of the year Eddy Reynoso and instead joined forces with coach Joe Goossen. Garcia said Reynoso didn’t have 100% commitment to train him due to time constraints. On the other hand, stablemate Canelo Alvarez questioned Garcia’s discipline and dedication.
Garcia says he’s in a better place now mentally, and physically as well with Goossen at the helm.
“The jab is definitely improving. In some of the past fights, I didn’t really use it,” said Garcia. “I’ll be looking forward to using my jab a little bit better in this fight. We all know that the jab is the key in the sport. It sets up a lot of shots. So I’ve been working on that. I have the talent to use pretty much any type of shot, right? If I could really master the jab, it can take me to another level.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com.