Notebook: Ryan Garcia splits from Eddy Reynoso, now will be trained by Joe Goossen

Jermall Charlo faces felony assault charge; Lubin-Fundora bout set for Showtime; Quick hits; Show and tell

Feb 12, 2022

A quick note to Fight Freaks Unite readers: If you have upgraded to a paid subscription, thank you! If you have not, please consider doing so to receive the most content. A paid subscription is also your way of keeping this reader-supported newsletter going and supporting independent journalism.

Lightweight star Ryan Garcia announced his return to the ring for the first time in 15 months last week and on Friday night he revealed he will go into that bout with a new trainer.

Garcia has parted ways with reigning trainer of the year Eddy Reynoso and will now be trained by Joe Goossen, one of the most respected trainers in the sport for decades.

“I’m excited to announce that I will now be working with Hall of Fame trainer Joe Goossen, in addition to my father, Henry Garcia,” Garcia said in a statement given to Fight Freaks Unite. “Joe’s legendary career spans several decades working with championship fighters. I worked with Joe when I was growing up, and the two of us have maintained a great relationship over the years. I can’t wait to pick back up where we left off, and to continue this journey together. I’ll now be working out of my own gym, Fierce King, in San Diego — and my goal remains the same: to become a world champion.”

Garcia, who is coming off surgery on his right hand/wrist, is scheduled to fight Emmanuel Tagoe (32-1, 15 KOs), 33, of Ghana, in a 12-rounder that will headline a Golden Boy Promotions card on DAZN on April 9 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Goossen, a 2005 inductee into the California Boxing Hall of Fame, has trained several world champions and contenders during his career, including brothers Rafael and Gabriel Ruelas, Michael Nunn, Diego Corrales, Joel Casamayor, Shane Mosley and Chris Arreola. He also serves as an expert commentator on Fox’s Premier Boxing Champions events.

Goossen has known Garcia since he was a 17-year-old amateur who sometimes trained at his Ten Goose Boxing Gym in Van Nuys, California. Goossen said he was contacted by a Garcia representative about training him a few days ago and they quickly worked out a deal.

“I'm absolutely honored, excited and anxious to start working with Ryan Garcia,” Goossen told Fight Freaks Unite on Friday night. “He possesses all the qualities of a superstar — lightening fast hand speed, knockout power, dazzling footwork, height, reach, confidence and made for TV looks. We start work this coming Monday and I just can't wait.”

Garcia has not fought since surviving a second-round knockdown and knocking out former world title challenger and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Luke Campbell with a body shot in the seventh round to win the WBC interim lightweight belt in January 2021 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs), 23, of Victorville, California, was poised for a big year but he has not fought since. He was scheduled for a July 9 fight with Javier Fortuna but pulled out due mental health issues that had him contemplating suicide and landing in therapy. He pronounced himself ready to return and was set to face Golden Boy stablemate Joseph Diaz Jr. in November, but he withdrew after injuring his right wrist and hand and undergoing surgery in October.

Reynoso, who is best known as the trainer and manager of pound-for-pound king and undisputed super middleweight world champion Canelo Alvarez, began training Garcia in late 2018. Garcia won five fights, all by knockout, under Reynoso’s tutelage.

“I would like to thank Eddy Reynoso for everything,” Garcia said. “Eddy has been in my corner since 2018, and I’ve learned a lot from him, both inside and outside the ring. We built an incredible friendship that I’ll always cherish. On behalf of my whole team, I wish Eddy continued success in his amazing career.”

Jermall Charlo arrested

WBC middleweight titlist Jermall Charlo was arrested on Friday afternoon in Fort Bend County, Texas, and charged with the felony of assaulting a family/household member after having a previous conviction, according to the Fort Bend County Sheriff Office’s online records.

Charlo faces 2 to 10 years in prison if he is found guilty. According to the online records, Charlo, who was arrested at 1:29 p.m., was still in custody as of Friday night with bail set at $10,000.

Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs), 31, of Houston, has defended his 160-pound world title four times, most recently by one-sided decision against Juan Macias Montiel in Houston on June 19.

Friday’s arrest comes when just as he is one of the leading candidates, along with light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol, to land a multi-million dollar fight with pound-for-pound king and undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez on May 7. Alvarez is expected to wrap up a deal for his next fight in the coming days. If Charlo gets the fight, and is available, he would move up to 168 pounds.

The arrest was Charlo’s second in the past six months. He was arrested in San Antonio this past August after being accused of stealing from a waitress during a bar dispute, but that case was dismissed for “insufficient evidence” earlier this month.

Lubin-Fundora date set

Junior middleweight contenders Erickson Lubin and Sebastian Fundora will meet for the vacant WBC interim junior middleweight title on April 9 in a Showtime-televised main event, sources told Fight Freaks Unite. Southern California is the likely site, a source said.

Lubin and Fundora have won previous title eliminators but with three-belt titlist Jermell Charlo and WBO titleholder Brian Castano due to meet in for the undisputed crown March 19 in Los Angeles in an immediate rematch of their July 17 draw, the WBC agreed to allow an interim title bout with the Charlo-Castano winner mandated to face the Lubin-Fundora winner.

Lubin (24-1, 17 KOs), 26, of Orlando, Florida, has won six fights in a row and is coming off an impressive sixth-round knockout of former unified titlist Jeison Rosario on June 26 in an elimination fight.

Fundora (18-0-1, 12 KOs), 24, of Coachella, California, who is known as “The Towering Inferno” because he is 6-foot-5, is coming off a unanimous decision win over Sergio Garcia in a Dec. 5 elimination bout.

Former junior middleweight titlist Tony Harrison (28-3-1, 21 KOs), 31, of Detroit, and Garcia will meet in the co-feature, one of the sources said.

Since upsetting Jermell Charlo by unanimous decision to win the WBC 154-pound title in December 2018, Harrison is 0-1-1, losing by 11th-round knockout to Charlo in the December 2019 rematch and followed by 12-round split draw with heavy underdog Bryant Perrella in April 2021.

Garcia (33-1, 14 KOs), 29, of Spain, will be fighting in the United States for the second time following the loss to Fundora.

Quick hits

Weights from London for Saturday’s Matchroom Boxing card on DAZN: Daniel Jacobs 166.9 pounds, John Ryder 167 (WBA super middleweight eliminator); Johnny Fisher 237, Gabriel Enguema 231.7; Felix Cash 159.6, Magomed Madiev 159.1; Ellie Scotney 121.2, Jorgelina Guanini 119.6; Austin Williams 161.4, Javier Francisco Maciel 166.3; Hopey Price 125, Ricardo Roman 124.6; Cyrus Pattinson 150.2, Evgenii Vazem 150.9; Shiloh Defreitas 143.6, Alexey Tukhtarov 143.4.

In response to Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn’s claim to iFL TV that he has made an offer to unified lightweight champion George Kambosos’ team for him to face WBC titlist Devin Haney for the undisputed lightweight title in his next fight in Kambosos’ home country of Australia on DAZN, Lou DiBella, Kambosos’ promoter, told Fight Freaks Unite on Friday: “The only offer I got from Eddie was (Feb. 4). It was a counter offer to one he made orally a month ago when I made him an offer. I rejected it immediately because it was insulting. It was so out of the picture there was nothing to discuss. Eddie reiterated that counter offer in writing last Friday and I responded in writing that the counter offer wasn’t worth discussing and I wished him and Devin well.”

Up-and-coming Mexican lightweight William Zepeda (24-0, 22 KOs), 25, will face countryman Luis Viedas (29-11-1, 10 KOs), 34, in the 10-round co-feature of the middleweight fight between Jaime Munguia and D’Mitrius Ballard on Feb. 19 (DAZN) at the Plaza Monumental de Playas in Tijuana, Mexico, Golden Boy announced. The other fights on the stream will be Mexico’s Rafael Espinoza (17-0, 14 KOs) versus the Philippines’ Alie Laurel (18-6-1, 11 KOs) in a 10-rounder at featherweight and junior welterweight Diego Torres Nunez (13-0, 13 KOs), of Mexico, against countryman Jonathan Escobedo Martinez (8-2-1, 2 KOs) in an eight-rounder.

European welterweight champion David Avanesyan (28-3-1, 16 KOs), 33, a Russia native based in England, will defend his title for the fifth time when he faces Oskari Metz (15-0, 5 KOs), 30, of Finland, on March 19 (BT Sport in the U.K.) at the OVO Arena, Wembley in London, promoter Frank Warren announced on Friday. The fight will be Avanesyan’s first since signing with Warren. Avanesyan is best known for outpointing Hall of Famer Shane Mosley and sending him into retirement in 2016.

Show and tell

Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya, who won world titles in a then-record six weight divisions, won some big fights and lost some big fights but if you ask him what he is most proud of he will tell you it is that he consistently faced the best possible opponents. He could have easily ducked Ike Quartey, a rugged fighter from Ghana, who had gotten some HBO exposure but was still not that well known. De La Hoya did not and elected to defend his WBC welterweight title against Quartey, who was as tough as they come. He was undefeated, had a ram-rod jab and the only reason he did not have a world title to make the bout a unification match was because he gave up the WBA belt in order to facilitate the bout with De La Hoya.

They put on a terrific fight at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, where De La Hoya retained the title by heavily disputed split decision in a major HBO PPV fight. Both men got knocked down in the memorable sixth round and De La Hoya, seemingly in need of a big 12th round, delivered with another knockdown and nearly stopped Quartey in a sensational round. De La Hoya won 116-112 and 116-113 while Quartey won 115-114 on the third scorecard. There was a split among many ringside observers as well with the Associated Press, for example, scoring it 116-112 for De La Hoya and the late unofficial HBO judge Harold Lederman having it 114-113 for Quartey. The fight was on Feb. 13, 1999 — 23 years ago on Sunday. Here is the program in my collection.

Garcia photo: Tom Hogan/Golden Boy; Charlo photo: Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office; Jacobs-Ryder photo: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing

To upgrade your subscription please go here: https://danrafael.substack.com/subscribe

Fight Freaks Unite