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DALLAS—A fighter expressing interest in lining up his next foe ahead of his toughest task to date would normally serve as cause for concern.
Ryan García recognizes the challenge he faces in his vacant interim lightweight title fight versus England’s Luke Campbell (20-3, 16KOs). That hasn’t prevented the 22-year old contender from calling out the world, including a hotly-desired showdown with fellow unbeaten budding star Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis (24-0, 23KOs) well before his upcoming fight with Campbell this Saturday at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Some will call it foolish to look that far ahead, especially before an assignment with an Olympic Gold medalist and top lightweight contender such as Campbell. García’s team has learned to understand, however, the boxer’s ability to focus on the task at hand while still envisioning a brighter future.
“I love that he has that much confidence,” Eddy Reynsoso, García’s head trainer told BoxingScene.com. “He’s put in a lot of hard work and he knows the great team he has behind him.”
García has never been short on self-promotion, in fact reaching social media fame well before hitting his stride even as a rising prospect in the sport. To his credit, a shaky showing in a 10-round majority decision win over Carlos Morales in Sept. 2018 prompted the Victorville, California product to strengthen his team, leading to his union with Reynoso who remains best known for his work with pound-for-pound king Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
Saturday will mark their fifth fight together, with García having racked up four straight knockouts in less than eight combined rounds worth of ring time in that span. Between the teachings of Reynoso—the 2019 Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) Trainer of the Year—and being in the presence of Alvarez, the 2019 Fighter of the Year and leading box-office attraction, has come a physical and mental transformation that has left the young boxer convinced of conquering the world.
“Everything has improved,” García insisted to BoxingScene.com of his overall game in the past two-plus years. “When you see up-close the pound for pound champion—not even just pound-for-pound, Canelo is a superstar just on a whole other dimension. When you see that, I’m the type of person that if I get a grasp of it I will take it to a whole other stratosphere.
“I love it because I will be assessed over it. That’s what they really give me and I’m thankful for it every day. Being around that type of greatness and knowledge, I won’t let that go to waste. I take every measurement to improve everything about myself every day I’m the gym and in the ring.”
Having first entered Reynoso’s facility as a 20-year old boxing pup, there would naturally come the maturation phase. Beyond that, it’s García’s ability to push himself to the limit and still ask for more that has most impressed the renowned cornerman.
“He’s very disciplined,” Reynoso says of his lightweight thoroughbred. “He’s always in the gym, always working out and never shows up out of shape. Even after our workout is done, he will go off and shadowbox on his own. He has so much energy.
“He’s far more disciplined now than when he first came to us—but he’s put in the work from our first day together. From that discipline, his talent has really shone through.”
For many, the jury is still out and with Saturday’s DAZN headliner serving as the burden of proof. García has aspirations of cleaning out a stacked lightweight division that includes fellow young guns Davis, lineal champion Teofimo Lopez (16-0, 12KOs) and unbeaten titlist Devin Haney (25-0, 15KOs). Still lurking out there is former unified titlist Vasiliy Lomachenko (14-2, 10KOs) and, of course, Campbell, a 33-year old southpaw from Hull, England who has twice fallen short on the title but who remains a divisional threat.
“This fight is very important to Ryan García’s career,” notes Reynoso. “This is his chance to show the world what level he is.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox