Derrick James replaced Ryan Garcia’s boxing trainer Joe Goosen and here is all you need to know about him, his boxing record and gym
Ryan Garcia has selected a new trainer.
Garcia announced on his social media platforms that he had chosen to work with Derrick James.
Garcia posted, “Time for the return,” along with a couple pictures of himself and James at work. James, Garcia, and Errol Spence may be seen posing for the camera in one picture.
Garcia’s statement was made less than four weeks after he lost by knockout to unbeaten lightweight contender Gervonta Davis in a battle that was seen by The Ring’s top ten lightweight contenders.
The match took place in Las Vegas. Davis and Garcia, respectively, are ranked Nos. 2 and 4.
Garcia, who is 24 years old, will be trained by James, who was named “Trainer of the Year” for 2022 by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA).
Spence, unbeaten lightweight contender Frank Martin, and junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo of Ring Magazine are his current clients.
Who is Derrick James, new trainer of Ryan Garcia, bio, age, boxing fight record, gym
‼️ Ryan Garcia has appointed Derrick James as his new trainer after splitting with Joe Goossen. He will train alongside Errol Spence, Jermell Charlo and Anthony Joshua. pic.twitter.com/5a2c77jSVX
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) May 18, 2023
Who is Derrick James?
Derrick James is a former professional boxer and American trainer. He is 51 years old.
James also works with Anthony Joshua, Jermell Charlo, Burley Brooks, and Errol Spence. He received the ESPN Trainer of the Year award in 2022.
Last year, he assisted the boxers Errol Spence Jr. and Jermell Charlo in winning unification titles.
The 51-year-old and Joshua have been working since early this year. He was voted Trainer of the Year in 2017 by The Ring magazine and Yahoo Sports.
The gym he trains his fighters in Dallas, the vaguely named World Class Boxing Gym, has no visible signage and is tucked away near a metal scrapyard downtown that covers roughly two and a half acres and any picture frames remain on the floor from about five years ago, awaiting a redesign of the gym’s aesthetics that has yet to occur. The lone squat rack features a broken barbell that is held together by tape in the middle and nobody has confessed as to who broke the equipment, but with a bevy of bags, a couple of treadmills, some free weights and a full ring in the back, sequestered in a separate room, it has everything James needs when training up-and-comers like Martin or established vets like Spence, Charlo and Joshua.
The Texan had a fighting career of his own with a pro record of 27-7-1, but missed out on the chance to compete at the 1992 Olympics. He won The Ring magazine’s Trainer of the Year award in 2017 and made his name in boxing as a coach to American boxers Errol Spence Jr and Jermell Charlo.
Anthony Joshua, the former undisputed heavyweight champion and No. 3 on The Ring’s rankings list, has just joined the James stable.
On April 1, James supported Joshua as the London-based fighter defeated Jermaine Franklin by unanimous decision.
A week after the Davis bout, Garcia and his trainer Joe Goossen made their separation public.
Prior to working with Goossen, Garcia was trained by Eddy Reynoso, who also coaches Canelo Alvarez, the Ring Magazine super middleweight champion, and Oscar Valdez, a candidate for the junior lightweight belt.
Garcia is managed by Lupe Valencia and is promoted by Golden Boy.