“I Got Lost in the Desert Before This”: Ryan Garcia Details Grueling Weight Cut From 2018

Ryan Garcia recently underwent surgery for a severe hand injury that he suffered in training. He updated his followers on social media that his surgery had been successful. This has now put a speedbump in the way of his fight with Joseph Diaz, which was earlier scheduled for the end of this year.

Considering the magnitude of this fight, boxing fans were pumped to see both fighters back in the ring. However, Garcia has now promised a comeback in early 2022.

While he is currently incapable of entertaining fans in the ring, the 23-year-old boxing star has been making waves on YouTube. He recently put up a fun video in which he reviewed some of his best knockouts along with an actual doctor.

Among others, Garcia reviewed his March 2018 fight against Fernando Vargas Parra as well; while he ended this fight in round 1 with a mean knockout, he stated that he struggled to make the 130 lbs weight for the fight.

Also Read: Eddy Reynoso Describes Ryan Garcia’s Dire Condition Before Hand Surgery

He even claimed that he was felt dehydrated leading up to this NABF Junior Super Featherweight title defense.

“I had to lose so much weight for this fight.

“I was like walking around a little bit heavier and I got lost in the desert before this and I’m not dead, I’m dehydrated,” said Ryan Garcia.

Ryan Garcia feared gassing out against Fernando Vargas Parra

Most expected Vargas to drag Ryan Garcia into deep waters and beat him by decision. It almost seemed like ‘King Ry’ knew and was aware that he had little chance at winning if the fight went into the later rounds.

As the fight kicked off, Vargas started out strong. Initially, it seemed as if he was following a structured approach; due to Garcia’s inability to close the gap, Vargas landed extended shots to the body. Garcia held up a high guard and let his opponent advance for the first half of the first round.

However, ‘King Ry’ switched up in the second half of round 1. He started using his jab effectively, which helped him create distance. Ryan then started landing effective 1-1-2 combinations. This is where Garcia capitalized on his speed and his heavy cross punches.

To duck the back-to-back 1-1-2 combinations, Vargas started showing more head movement to avoid those shots. Garcia picked up on this and boosted the volume and intensity of his jabs and cross punches.

As soon as he saw Vargas move his head opposite to his right jab, he caught the Mexican with a clean left hook that immediately dropped him flat on his back. Consequently, Ryan Garcia successfully defended his NABF Junior Super Featherweight title.

While reviewing this 2018 fight, Garcia highlighted that the weight cut would have had an effect on him in the later rounds. He feared gassing out, so he focused on stopping or knocking Vargas out early in the fight.

Do you think Ryan Garcia’s fighting style has changed since then?

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