Friends-turned-enemies is an age-old concept and seems to be present across all areas of life, including combat sports. Ryan ‘King Ry‘ Garcia and Canelo Alvarez’s blooming friendship soon turned bitter and has since remained the talk of the town for quite some time now.
Canelo has always been like an older brother to Garcia, who recently suffered his first professional loss in boxing. The 32-year-old has always mentored Ryan and has supported him by attending some of his biggest fights. The two had nothing but high praises for each other up until early 2022 when things started going south.
For over a year and a half, Canelo and Ryan haven’t appeared to be on speaking terms. By going through their comments about one another in recent memory, the duo seems to be openly disliking each other. Both athletes have even picked the other’s opponents to win over them in some of their recent bouts.
Why did Ryan Garcia part ways with Canelo Alvarez?
The news came as a big blow to the boxing world as soon as Ryan announced his separation from Canelo’s gym early last year. Ryan’s father Henry Garcia used to train him at the beginning of his career before he decided to train under the tutelage of Eddy Reynoso.
Eddy, who owns a gym named ‘Reynoso’s House of Boxing’ in San Diego, also happens to be the manager and trainer of Canelo Alvarez. Ryan moved to the said gym in 2018. However, he has alluded to the 46-year-old coach’s hectic schedule to be the reason for the split.
Soon after, Garcia joined forces with veteran cornerman and boxing pundit Jose Goosen. In order to clear the air, Ryan took to Instagram Live and said, “You know guys in regards to switching trainers it had nothing to do with bad blood or ego or any hard feelings.”
He continued, “It’s just, I would say, time, that’s basically it. Just knowing that you’ve got to get to work and, you know, Eddy is very busy, I respect it, he has to do what he has to do.”
However, Canelo Alvarez didn’t take much time to respond back to Ryan’s statements. While stating that Eddy Reynoso always had time for him, the 32-year-old hinted at Ryan’s lack of discipline.
Canelo shared, “I don’t know what happened. He said he wants more time, right? Eddy has all the time for him. He was here Christmas, New Year, everything for him when he fought Luke Campbell. Then, what happened? Something with him, I’m not sure.”
Canelo Alvarez knew Ryan would lose to Tank Davis
In June of the same year when Ryan left his gym, Canelo hinted that the 24-year-old isn’t ready for a megafight with ‘Tank.’ In the June 2022 interview, journalists asked him if Ryan would win against Tank in a potential matchup. To which, Alvarez said, “I don’t think so, not yet. If he [Ryan] put his mind in boxing and try to learn everything, he can do a lot of things. He has talent.”
It is worth mentioning that this isn’t the only time that Canelo picked Gervonta Davis for a win between the two. During the preparation for his rubber match with GGG, Canelo alluded to a potential win for Davis over Garcia.
The 32-year-old said, “It’s a good fight for boxing. I think Tank is more experienced, that’s why I think [Gervonta will win]. But you know, in boxing you never know.”
Ryan took Canelo’s opinion personally and chose to retaliate. The 24-year-old picked Gennady Golovkin to prevail over his former stablemate ahead of their rubber match in September 2022. In an interview, a reporter asked Ryan to give his prediction for the highly touted Canelo-GGG 3.
‘King Ry’ said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if Golovkin wins, so I’m gonna go with the underdog this time around. But it’s nothing toward Canelo.”
While the feud continues to make its presence felt more and more every day, fans wonder if the two will ever get back on talking terms. What do you think about their friendship turning bitter? Let us know in the comments down below.
