The difficulty just isn’t that Garcia is hitting mitts. It’s the place he’s doing it.
Garcia’s latest clips present him working inside his Los Angeles house, filmed in opposition to clear white partitions and marble flooring. The setting seems nearer to a luxurious front room than a high-performance boxing fitness center. In isolation, that may imply nothing. In context, it has turn out to be a part of a wider notion drawback. Whereas elite rivals grind by way of lengthy camps in crowded gyms, Garcia’s preparation seems casual and managed. Structured much less like a camp and extra like content material.
“Ryan Garcia don’t even seem like he preparing for a championship struggle @RyanGarcia. You be pissing me easy off,” Hitchins wrote on X.
Hitchins’ irritation just isn’t random. He has been open about plans to maneuver as much as welterweight in 2026, with Garcia considered as one of many cash fights in that lane. That path depends upon Garcia remaining related. Watching a possible future opponent seem informal with preparation is certain to register.
There’s additionally an added layer of irony. Barrios just lately teamed up with Joe Goossen, Garcia’s former coach. Whereas Garcia posts managed house exercises, his opponent is making ready below a Corridor of Fame-level boxing coach, inside a standard fitness center setting constructed round repetition and construction.
Why Garcia has chosen to coach at house has not been defined. Some followers consider it displays his famous person standing and want to keep away from fixed consideration. Others see it as one other instance of a fighter counting on profile somewhat than course of.
With a title struggle approaching, the optics matter. Hitchins just isn’t alone in noticing the distinction.
Proper now, one camp seems prefer it’s making ready for battle. The opposite seems prefer it’s making ready for a photograph shoot.
