After his no-contest fight against Devin Haney in April last year, Ryan Garcia had nearly drowned. The New York State Athletic Commission had suspended the 26-year-old for a year after his win over The Dream, when he tested positive for the PED (performance-enhancing drug) Ostarine, which violates the anti-doping rules that the International Boxing Association has laid out to make sure that the fights are fair. It was only in late-April when his suspension successfully cleared, and King Ry is smart enough not to mess this second chance up when he returns to the ring tomorrow evening.

Garcia has trained hard for his Fatal Fury in Times Square main event on the card against Rolando Rolly Romero, happening in New York City. Though there are no titles on the line, headlining an event and clearing off his public image remain a priority for Garcia. Not to mention that a win over Romero would propel him towards fighting the current IBF and WBA unified welterweight champ, Jaron Boots Ennis, or the super champion’s No. 1 contender in the division, Shakhram Giyasov, whoever wins in the upcoming matchup. Dates are not public yet.

Garcia is putting in everything to secure a win, and his first step towards victory was returning to his former trainer.

Who is Ryan Garcia’s coach for the Rolly Romero fight at Fatal Fury?

Now, for the last two years, Ryan Garcia was training under ESPN’s 2022 Trainer of the Year, Derrik James. That partnership even yielded pleasing results for the 24-1 boxer, when he knocked Oscar Duarte out in the eighth round in their December 2023 bout. But after the controversial win over Haney, Garcia was seen sparring with the unified super middleweight champ, Canelo Alvarez, in an X post by Source of Boxing. That had sparked suspicions of Garcia reconciling with Eddy Reynoso, the Mexican superstar’s trainer.

You see, the two already share a five-year history, and Reynoso used to train the charismatic boxer from 2018 to 2021, during which time he achieved 5 consecutive stoppage victories. However, the Luke Campbell victory via 7th-round TKO was seemingly Garcia’s last match under that high-profile coach, as the boxer turned to Joe Goosen in February 2022.

“The reason I switched was because Eddy didn’t really have time to train me, and it just wasn’t working out anymore,” Garcia told ESPN. “It was already two weeks in [to training camp] and I hadn’t seen [Reynoso], so I was like, ‘You know what? I just need to make a switch.”

With no hard feelings, Garcia made the decision he felt was correct in those circumstances, for which Canelo even ridiculed him. But, as they say, “the master’s shadow never fades.” And Garcia got to experience it firsthand. In recent weeks, word had spread that Reynoso would be back in Garcia’s ringside, training him for the May 2nd bout. “We always have great synergy, we always have a good time. I obviously trained with them for like five years, so it just felt like going back to training to be honest,” Garcia told in an interview with The Ring Magazine. “I’m pretty used to the whole training programme, so it was easy.”

Unfortunately, for Garcia, the partnership was very short-lived, unlike the last time, albeit for the same reasons. The Flash revealed that he had to part ways with the CONADE-certified coach yet again.

Why couldn’t Canelo Alvarez’s coach train Ryan Garcia?

Boxing aficionados well know that Canelo Alvarez is fighting his way into the undisputed status by trying to grab the IBF super middleweight title from William Scull. And that showdown is already scheduled for May 3rd, just one day after Garcia’s coming fight. No doubt, when forced to choose between Canelo and the California native, Reynoso would naturally choose the former, given that he’s known Alvarez since forever. Ever since the now 34-year-old boxer was just 15, Reynoso has trained him.

So, it is obvious why he would prioritise his primary student over someone who had left him years ago. Garcia even admitted that, just like the last time, Reynoso was all occupied to give him the undivided attention he needed for winning. Then, who is training Garcia after all? Well, it’s someone who is to Garcia what Reynoso is to Canelo —the coach who would give him all the attention. His father, Henry Garcia. When nothing else worked out, it was intuitive for King Ry Garcia to do this.

Considering that his father was the one to train him from the start in 2016, when Ryan Garcia was in his pre-professional era. As his head coach, Henry Garcia guided his son to a 215-15 amateur record, including 15 national championships. When the young boxer made his professional debut against Edgar Meza, winning via first-round TKO in Tijuana, his father was the one to witness it ringside.

So, for the Romero fight, it’s going to be his father training him, and his brother Sean Garcia being the helping hand, as well as Manny Pacquiao’s longtime strength and conditioning coach, Justin Fortune.

Now you know everyone who has helped Ryan Garcia become a fully prepared fighter when he enters the ring tomorrow. This will be a golden opportunity for him to show everyone that the drug fiasco wasn’t the real him. This is the opportunity for Garcia to reinstate his image as the knockout artist he is.

If he wins, he could earn a shot at the world title—either by facing the winner of Ennis vs. Giyasov or running it back with the only man to defeat him, Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis. But with his frequent trainer changes, can King Ry really pull it off? Share your thoughts in the comments below!