Ryan Garcia

Garcia grew up in Victorville, California, in a large boxing family. His father, Henry Garcia, boxed professionally and served as his trainer from childhood. His mother, Lisa, joined his management team as an administrative assistant for commercial deals. His brother Sean also fights professionally.

Garcia has three children. In March 2019, he had a daughter, Rylie, with Catherine Gamez. He later had a second daughter, Bela, and a son with Andrea Celina. Garcia and Celina divorced in 2024.

Garcia began boxing at age seven in his family garage. He compiled an amateur record of 215 wins against 15 losses, winning 15 national amateur championships. In 2014, he earned a silver medal at the National Junior Olympics.

He turned professional on June 9, 2016, fighting Edgar Meza in Tijuana and winning by technical knockout. Oscar De La Hoya signed Garcia to Golden Boy Promotions in November 2016. In 2017, Garcia scored the quickest knockout of his early career by stopping Miguel Carrizoza in thirty seconds. In late 2018, he moved his training camp to San Diego to work under trainer Eddy Reynoso.

Garcia claimed the vacant WBC Silver lightweight title in November 2019 by knocking out Romero Duno in the opening round. Three months later, he stopped Francisco Fonseca in eighty seconds with a lead left hook.

On January 2, 2021, Garcia faced Olympic gold medalist Luke Campbell in Dallas for the vacant WBC interim lightweight belt. Campbell knocked Garcia down in the second round, marking the first time Garcia touched the canvas in his professional career. Garcia recovered quickly. In the seventh round, he landed a liver shot that ended the fight. He later vacated the title after withdrawing from a scheduled bout against Javier Fortuna to focus on his mental health.

After switching trainers to Joe Goossen, Garcia returned to the ring in 2022 with decision and stoppage victories over Emmanuel Tagoe and Javier Fortuna. Those wins set up a pay-per-view bout with Gervonta Davis in Las Vegas on April 22, 2023.

The bout took place at a 136-pound catchweight with a rehydration clause. Davis dropped Garcia in the second round before landing a finishing body shot in round seven. It was Garcia's first career defeat. Following the loss, Garcia parted ways with Goossen and hired Derrick James. He rebounded in December 2023 by knocking out Oscar Duarte in Houston.

Garcia met Devin Haney on April 20, 2024, in New York City. He missed the championship weight limit by over three pounds, making him ineligible to win Haney's super lightweight title. During the fight, Garcia dropped Haney three times across rounds seven, ten, and eleven, winning a majority decision on the scorecards.

The result did not stand. Voluntary Anti-Doping Association testing showed Garcia tested positive for the banned substance ostarine before and during the bout. New York regulators changed the official result to a no contest, issued a $1.1 million fine, and handed Garcia a one-year suspension. In July 2024, the WBC expelled Garcia after he directed offensive slurs and remarks on a social-media livestream. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman reinstated him in November 2025.

Garcia moved up to welterweight in May 2025 for a bout against Rolando Romero in Times Square. Romero dropped Garcia in round two with a double left hook and won by unanimous decision.

Garcia faced WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on February 21, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The match placed Garcia against his former trainer Joe Goossen, who worked in Barrios' corner. Garcia knocked Barrios down in the opening round and controlled the contest to claim a 12-round unanimous decision and the WBC welterweight championship.