Trust Ryan Garcia to hype a boxing event. If there were any doubts that controversies and setbacks had taken a chunk out of his box-office draw, they were dispelled when he joined his father, Henry Garcia, and promoter Oscar De La Hoya at the kickoff press conference for his upcoming title fight against Mario Barrios.

Scheduled for February 21 at T-Mobile Arena, the matchup drew additional attention when reports confirmed Ryan Garcia’s former trainer, Joe Goossen, will lead Barrios’ camp. Garcia and his father, and now trainer, Henry Garcia, appeared to have taken offense at Goossen’s move, and they made it clear at the event, taking turns showing how pained they were by the veteran trainer’s decision. Garcia & Co. called it a betrayal.

Ryan Garcia jabs at former trainer before title fight

When his turn to speak came, Garcia went about it in his usual outspoken way and revealed that three trainers he once worked with are now in Barrios’ camp. “So, we’ve been studying a lot of them. One thing I do want to mention, you know, is that they got three guys that used to train me, not just Joe,” he stated.

Saying Barrios could be treating them like the “Avengers,” Garcia offered his own nomenclature by calling them “The Traitors.” As he rattled off names, including Justin Fortune, the former heavyweight fighter-turned strength-and-conditioning coach he worked with last spring, Garcia said he had brought some gifts.

Saying so, he pulled out a T-shirt meant for Goossen. It read, “I am a traitor.” He soon shifted his attention to his opponent. “We have been doing some research for Mario,” he said. “He fought Keith Thurman with 10 oz gloves. We don’t want that. We want 8 oz.,” he said. Team Barrios appeared to agree and later confirmed they are also going with eight-ounce gloves.

Garcia’s taunts toward Goossen may strike many as immature.

As his father joins in the taunts, the history tells a different story

By all accounts, the split with Goossen was amicable and respectful. The 72-year-old veteran, whose resume includes the late Diego Corrales, Shane Mosley, and Riddick Bowe, parted ways with Garcia three years ago after the Gervonta Davis fight. They had been together for close to 14 months, including three bouts.

Goossen tried to clarify his stance, saying, “OK, look, I don’t have any resentment. Wherever this resentment is coming from, I don’t really know. But the bottom line is, I’ve got nothing against any fighter I’ve ever gone against—ever. OK, I’m just for my fighter, that’s all.”

Yet Garcia said Goossen broke his heart.

Garcia’s father did not spare Goossen either. “When I first found out that Joe was going to go ahead and train Mario Barrios, I was taken aback. I’m not going to lie. I was thinking, well, what the heck’s going on here? Why would a coach that trained my son all of a sudden turn around and train somebody else to go against my son? Um, I find that very disrespectful, and it just isn’t right, you know.”

Perhaps it is Team Garcia’s way of trying to unsettle Team Barrios ahead of the fight by stirring emotional subplots. Henry Garcia became Ryan’s trainer after he parted ways with Derrick James, who followed Goossen. Garcia spent a brief stint with Eddy Reynoso‘s stable ahead of the Rolly Romero fight. What is there to complain about?