Ryan Garcia is currently holding the WBC Silver Lightweight world championship and is ESPN’s No. 4-ranked lightweight. He is also a twenty-time match-winning professional boxer, a renowned TikTok celebrity and a voice of youth in California. Why? Garcia is a face for struggle. He is the motivation for depressed youths because Garcia came into a boxing career from nothing, Ryan started from scratch and is now known as one of the finest boxers in the world. Let’s look at these facts about Ryan that made him what he is today:
Ryan Garcia: 18 Lesser Known Facts About The Boxer
Who is Ryan Garcia?
Ryan Garcia is an American professional boxer who is currently competing in the lightweight division from the Golden Boy Promotions. Garcia is one of the finest boxers in the world and is the WBO–NABO and WBC Silver lightweight Titleholder. Also, he hasn’t lost a single match since his first debut in 2016.
The renowned boxer/TikTok celebrity from California was born on August 8, 1998, in Victorville, California, United States. Garcia is the son of Henry Garcia(father) and Lisa Garcia(mother). His father, Henry dreamed of becoming a perfect professional boxer but he turned to be a trainer instead. Both of his parents were actively involved in his career since his childhood as currently, his mother works as his Personal Administrative Assistant for commercial projects and his father, one of his trainers. Ryan was raised along with his four siblings: three sisters, Demi, Sasha, and Kayla and a younger brother, Sean Garcia. Sean is also a professional boxer who fights in the Super Bantamweight division. Ryan and Sean began training when Ryan was just 7 with their father. Both of the brothers got great support from their parents to pursue their career in boxing. Besides, as an amateur, Ryan already had a 215-15 boxing record. He came first in the National Pals, Silver Gloves, Junior Olympics, and Junior Golden Glove. He even had finished as second at the 2014 Junior Worlds event.
He’s got some of the fastest hands in boxing, and Ryan Garcia is already one of the most marketable athletes in the world. The 22-year-old has already amassed 21 professional wins from as many fights, following his WBC lightweight interim title win over London 2012 Olympic gold medallist Luke Campbell in Dallas on 2nd January, 2021. But things haven’t always been easy for social media star Ryan Garcia, who had to overcome anxiety on his way to the top. Even to this day, a huge source of the California-born man’s motivation in the ring is answering the doubters, who question his technique and outspoken personality.
He wanted to play Baseball first
Ryan Garcia’s first sporting love was baseball, and he claims that many saw him as the ‘next Babe Ruth’. However, he became frustrated with his teammates and quickly realised that team sports were not for him. “I wanted a sport where it could be one-on-one. My uncle showed me a video of a sport called boxing. I was like, ‘All right, I’ll try it’,” Garcia stated to Interview Magazine. “He took me to his garage and put a pair of gloves on me, and right when I did that first jab, I was pretty much just in love with the sound of the mitt. That snap.” The rest, as they say, is history.
He’s a marketing dream
With good looks, a luxurious lifestyle, and a devastating punch, Mexican-American boxing star Ryan Garcia isn’t exactly short on confidence.
With 7.3 million Instagram followers and counting, the Californian boxer turns heads in every sense of the word. His penchant for speaking his mind, coupled to his exciting style in the ring, means that boxing fans follow his every move like a moth to a flame – regardless of their personal feeling towards his antics. The 22 year old has even walked the model runway for brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Abercrombie & Fitch.
Last year in October, sports business publication SportsPro named him the 12th most marketable athlete in the world, and the top in boxing. For context, heavyweight world champions Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury came in at 31 and 32 respectively. The publication put Garcia’s ranking down to his popularity with younger, more digital-savvy fans. Just imagine what winning a world title will do to those follower numbers…
He suffered from anxiety
Given his aptitude for the spotlight these days, it may come as some surprise that Garcia had to overcome anxiety and depression as a teenager.
“I guess as a young kid I was always an over thinker,” Garcia told BBC Sport. “I didn’t understand anxiety could have physical effects on you, like panic attacks. I had a little dark time. “But I learned my emotions, my triggers, the things I need to stay away from. Yes I may be confident, I put on a show but deep inside I am that same person who has fear and doubts like everyone else.”
Aside from winning belts and fame in the ring, Garcia helped others through their depression, by vocalizing personal tips and more information on his own experiences.
He hasn’t lost a single match since 2016
Garcia now works as a professional boxer for Golden Boy Promotions, a highly reputed boxing and martial arts promoter in America. He has also done contracts with several brands endorsing himself in numerous advertisements.
Keeping champion company
Training partners don’t come much better than arguably the world’s most dominant fighter at the moment, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Despite the fact that the Mexican multiple world champion doesn’t speak English – and Garcia doesn’t speak Spanish – their partnership proves that sport transcends language barriers. The pair can often be found ringside at each other’s fights, and also share a promoter in 1992 Olympic gold medallist Oscar De La Hoya. However, their styles outside the ring greatly contrast: “Me, I like to let it out and say it – if you’re going to beat me, come beat me,” Garcia told the BBC. “If you do, you must be the baddest man on the planet because I know I can fight,” “Canelo, man, I have seen his work ethic. If you don’t think I’m soaking in this knowledge you must be crazy because I’m not an ignorant person.”
Made in America with Mexican heritage and Italian food
Professional boxers are typically relentless in their dedication to training, and often creatures of habit. True to form, Garcia has a post-training feeding ritual that he never deviates from. After securing his weight for an upcoming bout, he will sit down for a pasta meal of fettuccine alfredo with his family without fail. “Italian food is my favourite type. It stocks you up with energy,” he told GQ Sports.
Ryan was born in Victorville, a small town in California. He is American by nationality. But Garcia likes to call himself a Mexican born American. He wants to include his Latina heritage within his identity.
As Garcia’s parents belong to the Latin community, in the ring, he always carries a Mexican flag. It’s confusing for his fans to see, but that’s Garcia’s way of showing his feelings towards Mexico
Boxing is in his blood
Garcia’s father, Henry Garcia, was also a boxer, but he did not continue his career due to personal problems. Garcia’s mother, Lisa Garcia, is his administrative consultant for different events. He has a perfect relationship with his father and mother, unlike most adults. After entering into a professional career, he didn’t start to live alone. He still lives with his parents.
He has four siblings. Three of them are sisters, and one is his younger brother. His sisters are well settled, and he is planning to secure an excellent Boxing background for his brother.
His brother, Sean Garcia, is also a boxer.
It is unclear about Ryan’s educational background. Once, his mother said, he has completed his school.
He plans to retire from boxing at 26, then take a swing at MMA
Garcia wanted to get into boxing from his childhood, that’s why his father trained him. So, he rigorously trained to become an amateur boxer. After some time, he started to enter into different competitions now he believes he’ll be done with boxing early.
He plans to retire at the age of 26. But the red-hot prospect is not saying he’ll give up all combat sports (like MMA) by then. The popular pugilist said on The Rich Eisen Show that he will consider moving over to MMA following his boxing career. The 22-year-old also said he wants to prove he’s the best fighter in the world — and not just in the ring:
“If they say, ‘OK you’ve beaten everybody in the ring’ [and] somebody goes ‘this ain’t real fighting — real fighting is legs, choking, submissions, all that,'” Garcia said. “Guess what I’ll do? I’ll go prove to them that I’m the best fighter all around in the world. I’m talking about hands, I’m talking about wrestling. I will go to MMA to prove a point that God is greatest. And I’ll go beat whoever it is in MMA they say I won’t beat. If it has to be Conor McGregor, I will. And I’m not saying this to get money — I don’t care about money. I’m saying this just because it’s how I feel.”
Garcia lastly said he wouldn’t rule out a comeback either.
“I still plan to retire at 26,” he said. “Yet, if I am to return back to the ring, I will only battle people that people at that time … will say Ryan can’t beat them.”
Awards and titles
Ryan has achieved titles like; Junior Super Featherweight, WBC-NABO Super Featherweight, WBC-NABF Junior Super Lightweight, and WBC Silver Lightweight in his short career.
The latest match of Garcia was in the Honda Center, California, with Francisco Fonseca. It was the battle for the WBC Silver Lightweight title. He won the match with 1(12) round. After the match, he gained the title
Ryan Garcia net worth
How much would an ordinary 22-year-old boy earn? He would probably go to high school and do hard work to achieve a degree. He would work in Starbucks, Walmart, or somewhere to sustain.
This doesn’t apply to Garcia because he has already earned more than enough. Garcia lives a luxurious life, shows lavishness – drives his expensive cars as he earns 100,000 a year and his networth is around 10 million. Let’s take a look at how he amassed his wealth:
He became an amateur national champ, which caught Golden Boy Promotions‘ attention in 2016. It was that same year he turned pro. After 3 years with Golden Boy, Ryan decided to extend his contract with the company in September 2019. The new deal was a multi-million dollar arrangement for 5 years.
As of October 2020, Ryan is ranked the sixth best lightweight in the world, according to Ring Magazine. Ryan is endorsed by large companies like Gymshark. In 2018, he got his brand new car, “Musk” and has an Audi RS7 as well.
He also has a personal car collection where he keeps his Porshe, Mercedes, and other cars. Garcia also earns through TikTok and Instagram, which adds extra dollars to his income!
Unbeatable
He’s only 22, but Ryan Garcia is undefeated thus far in his boxing career. He’s participated in 20 fights, and has won all 20 of them. His wins by knockouts totals at 17.
Garcia started a professional career competing with Edgar Meza. Tijuana, a city in southern California, organizers held it. He won the match with a 1-0 record.
Competition organizers held the next big match of his career in Los Angeles. His opponent Jonathan Cruz, a Cuban boxer, was also in good form. But Garcia managed to win the battle with a significant 5-0 record.
Garcia has won back to back matches with outstanding records. Surprisingly, with Philipino boxer Romero Duno, he didn’t lose the match. People used to know Duno for having an unbeatable career.
Ex-girlfriend and first child
Garcia was in a relationship with his ex-girlfriend for more than three years. Her name is Catherine Gamez. She belongs to a Latina community. At a very young age, Garcia has become a father. His daughter Riley Garcia was born in March 2019.
Many people find it surprising to know – about Ryan’s daughter but they seem like a cute duo on his social media. He tries to take her to the garden, bathe her, takes her to bed.
Current girlfriend
Ryan Garcia’s Girlfriend Drea Celina just gave birth to Bela, their first child. Garcia frequently uploads pictures with her. He also likes to describe Celina, whom he loves very much. Garcia and Celena often hang around at the parties.
Drea Celina is Mexican and Italian. She is considered an “influencer” as she’s done partnerships with brands and has a massive Instagram following at 112,000. She specializes in fitness, beauty, and health content. She’s a fan of sports and loves the beach. Drea was reportedly pregnant with Ryan Garcia’s first child and now they share daughter Bela together. However, this isn’t Ryan’s first child. He has a two-year old daughter from a previous relationship.
Ryan is a social media star
Garcia manages to use three different social media platforms. However, Instagram is his best. He likes to share many things on Instagram. Garcia shared different events like Riley’s birth, separation from Catherine, and new girlfriend Celina’s relationship through his Instagram.
His second choice for Social Media is TikTok. Garcia is a well-known TikTok celebrity in California. He has made different videos and shared them on TikTok. He also likes to endorse himself as a professional TikToker. Few people did not know Garcia through his Boxing career. However, they recognize him only as a celebrity. His videos are mainly about Boxing and traveling.
And his third choice is Twitter. Garcia mainly releases the official statements about his match events through Twitter. He has a lot of fans following his Twitter account. Still, he prefers to use Twitter less.
Body measurements
Ryan Garcia has a well maintained athletic body physique. Being a boxer, he has been able to have a fit body with good health. He stands tall with a height of 5ft. 10inch.(1.70m) while his body weighs around 58kg. He has a fair complexion with light brown hair and eyes.
Ryan Garcia competed on an all-new episode of ABC’s Celebrity Family Feud
Ryan Garcia and Team WBC — composed of boxers Evander Holyfield, Riddick Bowe and Shawn Porter, and WBC President Mauricio Sulaimán — squared off against Team UFC, which consisted of Griffin, Holly Holm, Henry Cejudo, Michelle Waterson and Stephen Thompson.
Team WBC pulled off the victory, but Garcia delivered in the “Fast Money” round. Garcia scored 152 points out of a possible 200, leaving teammate Porter with just 48 points to pick up to seal the victory.
Other FAQ’s
What race is Ryan Garcia?
Ryan Garcia belongs to a white background. Though, he relates himself to the Latina and Hispanic Mexican community.
Who is Ryan Dating?
Garcia is currently dating a model, Andrea Celina.
When is Ryan’s next Boxing match going to be held?
Garcia ( 21wins-0 loss ) is ESPN’s No. 4-ranked lightweight. The California native is coming off a seventh-round TKO over Luke Campbell to win the WBC interim lightweight title Jan.
Ryan is a renowned Boxer who has not lost a single match from the beginning of his career.