Ryan Garcia criticized his former Hall of Fame trainer Joe Goossen for teaming up with rival Mario Barrios ahead of their WBC welterweight title fight scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026.
During the introductory press conference, the 27-year-old American professional boxer used the “alleged betrayal” plot and described his former trainer as “a traitor.”
The social media influencer, accompanied by his father and coach Henry, threw a T-shirt with the word “traitor” printed on the back towards his former coach.
When asked if he was really heartbroken that Barrios was trained by Goossen, Garcia shared a sly smile without saying anything.
In an interview with CBS Newssaid the boxer: “I’m going to rip this guy’s head off and beat him up in front of Goossen.”
He added that this motivates him to “spank his opponent’s butt more just to show that I don’t care who is training him.”
For those unfamiliar, Goossen, 72, worked with Garcia as his head trainer for three consecutive fights, before parting ways in 2023.
Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) and Goossen parted on good terms; However, industry rumors suggest that the former WBC interim lightweight titleholder never truly accepted Goossen’s teachings.
Garcia will face Barrios in a PPV main event inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday at 7:55 pm ET.
