Ryan Garcia and Emmanuel Tagoe Meet

Ryan Garcia and Emmanuel Tagoe in LA

(Photos by Al Applerose)

By Lauren Rodriguez

LOS ANGELES- Ryan Garcia appears to have left his boastful ways behind him. Tuesday afternoon, Golden Boy promotions hosted their media press conference regarding the return of Garcia (21-0, 18 KO’s) against Emmanuel “The Gameboy” Tagoe (32-1, 15 KO’s).

The conference began with media interviews, where the fighters answered media outlets specific questions.

Garcia was met with several questions regarding his 15-month hiatus and his grand presence on social media. The young fighter currently has a record breaking 8.7 million followers on Instagram, bringing in a new era of boxing that coincides with social media.

Garcia explained that his long break was due to mental health issues and his need for a break to recompose. The social media star emphasized that mental health, for men, is often stigmatized, a barrier he’s intent on breaking down through boxing and his notoriety.

“Coming back to it [boxing], I’ve matured a lot and I’ve realized a lot of things and it has made me a better person, a better role model and now I get to do the thing I love and that’s boxing and I'm excited to be back in there,” said Garcia.

His growing presence on the social media platform has garnered criticisms by fans and veterans in the industry. Many have claimed that the amount of time Garcia has spent on social media could be a distraction to the sport and for Ryan himself.

Golden Boy promotions’ very own Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya is prideful in what his prodigy has accomplished in the ring and on the Internet. The Golden Boy founder stated that he himself wishes he had the same type of presence on the app.

“Ryan Garcia is one of the most disciplined fighters today, he’s one of the hardest working boxers. The fact that he had to deal with his mental issues, a broken right hand... it happens and he did the right thing. He took some time off. He’s still dealing with mental health issues... It was only 15 months. Who hasn’t taken time off for those reasons? A broken hand or a cut over the eye? It’s unfair that people criticize Garcia,” stated De La Hoya.

The young fighter hopes he can serve as a means to motivate and lead the next generation away from dismissing mental health issues within themselves and their peers.

The mental health check seems to have shifted the undefeated fighter from his usual boastful and confident approaches, to a much humbler side we haven’t seen.

“I've matured. I’ve realized things that I need to simmer down on”

As far as his upcoming battle with Tagoe, after missing from the ring for over a year, the boxing and social media mogul remained humble yet confident about his expected outcome.

“What makes me so confident is that I’ve been in the ring so many times. I've been in camps with Canelo. I feel I'm very comfortable in the ring with whoever I fight.”

Speed and Timing

The knockout phenomenon has adjusted his perspective but still maintains a positive outlook. The young fighter knows his strengths and gives little insight into his weaknesses.

“Advantage wise, I’m always going to have the speed advantage but most important I have is timing. Those are my best attributes. I know that Tagoe is looking for this opportunity and he comes from Africa so this is a huge opportunity. It’s not going to be an easy fight. I just have to be sharper. Maybe it's going to be easy.. you never know in there. Can’t take anybody lightly. You’ve obviously seen in the past when a fighter takes somebody lightly, they get upset and I'm not going to be one of those fighters.”

Tagoe will not be an easy match for Ryan who many have criticized in the past for denying more difficult matchups. Tagoe has more to lose and more to gain in this battle against the celebrity boxer, something both Garcia and De La Hoya acknowledge.

“Being from Ghana, losing his pro debut and winning every fight after that, shows me he’s tasted defeat and he doesn’t ever want to taste it again,” said De La Hoya.

The Ghanaian fighter chose to opt out of using a translator, instead having learned enough to roughly navigate the conference for himself, often losing context in his own broken translation.

One clear message that could be interpreted by Tagoe was that his alias, “The Game Boy” was a name chosen for the reason that he wins every game he plays.

Garcia made a joke about not being beaten in Mario Kart, one of the many statements misunderstood by Tagoe.

Tagoe commented on Garcias change of coach, stating that Garcia changed coaches because he knew he was fighting Tagoe and the last coach wouldn’t have cut it.

De La Hoya's comments on Garcia’s newest coach was nothing short of praise.

“If Ryan Garcia has a new trainer, I love that they’re teaching him distance, keeping your opponent at bay. I love the fact that Joe Goosen as trainer can teach him the knowledge of right hands.”

As for the future of Ryan Garcia, should he beat the decorated Ghanaian fighter, the possibility of a fight with Kambosos (20-0, 10 KO’s) is very high said De La Hoya.

“I’m actually thinking about flying to Australia, this fighter Kambosos holds all the belts. Is fighting in Australia very soon. I plan on sitting down with Lou Dibella, his promoter, and possibly doing a fight with him and Garcia for all the belts,” stated De La Hoya.

We’ll see what outcome April 9th brings for Garcia and Golden Boy Promotions as the lightweight fighter prepares for his return to boxing.

The 12-round lightweight fight will be held in San Antonio, Texas at the Alamodome and streamed exclusively on DAZN. Tickets are available now at ticketmaster.com or the Alamodome box office, M-F 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.