Within the span of roughly two weeks, Ryan Garcia has already found a new coach to train with following the split between him and Joe Goossen. Derrick James will be Ryan Garcia’s new coach for the foreseeable future as the American fighter seeks to blaze his career anew at 140 pounds where he is projected to fight next. The move was made apparent when Ryan Garcia showed as much through his social media outlet of Twitter.
Derrick James, a veteran coach that had fought as a professional boxer in the past, currently has a roster of some of the most talented fighters in the world, including Anthony Joshua (25-3, 22 KO’s), Errol Spence Jr. (28-0, 22 KO’s) and Jermell Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KO’s). Ryan Garcia (23-1, 19 KO’s) is now the newest fighter joining a stable that has always been known for its hardworking and skillful fighters, and only further proves this with Garcia’s recent inclusion.
Ryan Garcia’s move shows an inclination to improve, with Derrick James having already helped create one unified champion in Errol Spence Jr., while Jermell Charlo became an undisputed fighter under his tutelage. James’ gym, based in Dallas, is also home to talented contenders which includes Lightweight contender Frank Martin (17-0, 12 KO’s) and former world title challenger Marcus Browne (24-2, 16 KO’s).
Though it is yet unknown who Ryan Garcia’s next fight will be against, recently-crowned WBA champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero (15-1, 13 KO’s) has already openly expressed interest in facing Garcia, and the two have a common past sparring together similar to how Shakur Stevenson (20-0, 10 KO’s) has had many sparring matches with Devin Haney (29-0, 15 KO’s) in the past.
With Rolly Romero still fighting off the controversy in the wake of the early stoppage that saw him win a match he was losing on the cards, Ryan Garcia’s chances are quite favorable given Romero’s struggles in his last bout, despite Garcia himself having suffered a brutal knockout to Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KO’s) as a result of body shot.
If Rolly Romero won’t be next, there are still plenty of other fighters at Super Lightweight who can provide more than a challenge for Ryan Garcia who has decided to move up from Lightweight where he has spent most of his career. The 140-pound division currently has four world champions, which provides Garcia with four different paths to take, though it will be a notably hard and difficult path given the talent of all champions.
Following last weekend’s performance, though Rolly Romero might be considered the weakest of those champions, he presents an intriguing yet dangerous option for Ryan Garcia who will look to start off in the division as well as possible. Even if not immediately fighting a world champion, there are plenty of tough contenders in place that can prevent Ryan Garcia from gaining a foothold in the division. Most prominently, Jose Ramirez (28-1, 18 KO’s), Gary Antuanne Russell (16-0, 16 KO’s) and Arnold Barboza Jr. (28-0, 10 KO’s) are all prospective opponents for Garcia who happen to be American and are considered some of the best non-champions in the division.
Regardless of who he fights next, there is no shortage of opponents for Garcia, and simultaneously still plenty of room for improvement with his ripe age of twenty-four which should see him rise quickly over his loss to Gervonta Davis to recapture his winning form that can see him become a world champion in one of the toughest divisions in boxing.
