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(Too) Long first post for a new member but here goes...
Still processing what I observed in the Garcia-Campbell fight.
Lot to take away from both fighters and not too positive in my opinion.
Starting with Campbell, I seriously think if he had a different coach (probably not European/British) the outcome would have been different after the knockdown.
Just before the referee resumes the fight, something is shouted from his corner and he looks over.
I am positive they are telling him not to rush it and stay cautious instead of going in for the kill.
Huge mistake in my opinion. Garcia has never been knocked down, you could see the confusion and shock on his face. If you are an experienced fighter, when the fight resumes your whole body language and facial expression coming forward towards the youngster should be ‘this fight is absolutely over and you are in for a serious beating if you keep standing’
I don’t believe Garcia was physically that hurt but he was mentally shook for a moment until Campbell allowed him back (in the round) with his cautious approach. If you are that experienced and your opponent is mentally wobbly for a second like an unstable table, you should have dropped an edition of War and Peace on that table.
Serious tactical error from his corner, because you know a Freddy Roach or Roger Mayweather would have shouted “Get that MF out of there!”
Now coming to Garcia, this is the first time I have actually closely watched him in a complete fight and honestly, I am shocked at the number of technical errors he displays as a professional.
Besides that I don’t think his boisterous personality fits the Reynoso team at all, I believe Eddy Reynoso knows that some flaws are maybe too hard/late to fix as an active fighter and focuses more on his strenghts now because if you see how technical Canelo is, there is no way these errors wouldn’t be fixed on day one of joining the team.
Something else… besides my love for boxing, I was a martial art instructor for years (yeah, don’t ask. A big waste of time) and when I saw Canelo explain something to Garcia during training, I recognized the expression on his face…. It was the expression that says “I am going to explain this because I want to help you. but this is frankly embarrassing cause you really should have known this by now”)
Back to the fight. I was having trouble with my internet connection during the fight (had to watch it back in full later) so the image would freeze every 8-10 seconds or so. But the upside of this was that it would freeze during almost every exchange. This would clearly show the flaws of Garcia.
1. He almost fights like a kid when an opponent fires back and doesn't know what to do. He just throws and hopes he throws harder and faster than the opponent. No defensive awareness or composure whatsoever.
2. Drops hands A LOT
3. Chin up all time
4. No defensive knowledge or abilities. He should stay away from the cobra bag, he uses it just to show off. It gives him the false confidence that he can avoid and slip punches. He can’t. He has no head movement when there is pressure (i.e. during a fight) He is very stationary and upright and can’t slip a serious punch.
5. Saw him lift his left foot up at least 1,5 feet before stepping in to punch.
He has no footwork, no upperbody or head movement and he also doesn’t know how to properly use his glove in high guard or to protect the body.
His reflex is not to parry shots to the body with the elbow but to lower the hand (sometimes both hands!). Canelo or Crawford can do this but Garcia’s knowledge and skills are nowhere near that level.
His defense consists mostly of putting 2 arms out and leaning back and turn his head away or else clinching.
And his final means of defense is (what I could clearly see during the freezing images on my screen)….
6. He closes his eyes. A lot of people have already seen this, he closes his eyes when he punches but I also saw him turning his head and closing his eyes when backing away from punches.
The problem is, that this i.m.o. isnt’ really a technical error but more an fighter’s character error that is hard if not impossible to correct at this stage in his career.
When you first start fighting or are untrained, no matter what art, this is like the first reflex you have and which you should lose in like what, the first year of sparring? Blinking is normal but just completely closing your eyes?
This seems to show that Ryan Garcia is actually really afraid of being hit in the face. I have never seen this in a professional boxer, i have only seen this behavior when a wrestler tries to avoid punches.
(Lomachenko actually talked about his sparring with Garcia and said that RG was “terrified to show his face”)
Ryan Garcia has speed and power but you can’t rely on these assets your entire career to win fights (if you’re not a heavyweight) with this many flaws. I am actually curious how he will cope when this no longer will be enough.
His ecstatic celebration of winning the fight and interviews afterwards, isn't a encouraging sign to me that he is really aware of his major weaknesses.
Still processing what I observed in the Garcia-Campbell fight.
Lot to take away from both fighters and not too positive in my opinion.
Starting with Campbell, I seriously think if he had a different coach (probably not European/British) the outcome would have been different after the knockdown.
Just before the referee resumes the fight, something is shouted from his corner and he looks over.
I am positive they are telling him not to rush it and stay cautious instead of going in for the kill.
Huge mistake in my opinion. Garcia has never been knocked down, you could see the confusion and shock on his face. If you are an experienced fighter, when the fight resumes your whole body language and facial expression coming forward towards the youngster should be ‘this fight is absolutely over and you are in for a serious beating if you keep standing’
I don’t believe Garcia was physically that hurt but he was mentally shook for a moment until Campbell allowed him back (in the round) with his cautious approach. If you are that experienced and your opponent is mentally wobbly for a second like an unstable table, you should have dropped an edition of War and Peace on that table.
Serious tactical error from his corner, because you know a Freddy Roach or Roger Mayweather would have shouted “Get that MF out of there!”
Now coming to Garcia, this is the first time I have actually closely watched him in a complete fight and honestly, I am shocked at the number of technical errors he displays as a professional.
Besides that I don’t think his boisterous personality fits the Reynoso team at all, I believe Eddy Reynoso knows that some flaws are maybe too hard/late to fix as an active fighter and focuses more on his strenghts now because if you see how technical Canelo is, there is no way these errors wouldn’t be fixed on day one of joining the team.
Something else… besides my love for boxing, I was a martial art instructor for years (yeah, don’t ask. A big waste of time) and when I saw Canelo explain something to Garcia during training, I recognized the expression on his face…. It was the expression that says “I am going to explain this because I want to help you. but this is frankly embarrassing cause you really should have known this by now”)
Back to the fight. I was having trouble with my internet connection during the fight (had to watch it back in full later) so the image would freeze every 8-10 seconds or so. But the upside of this was that it would freeze during almost every exchange. This would clearly show the flaws of Garcia.
1. He almost fights like a kid when an opponent fires back and doesn't know what to do. He just throws and hopes he throws harder and faster than the opponent. No defensive awareness or composure whatsoever.
2. Drops hands A LOT
3. Chin up all time
4. No defensive knowledge or abilities. He should stay away from the cobra bag, he uses it just to show off. It gives him the false confidence that he can avoid and slip punches. He can’t. He has no head movement when there is pressure (i.e. during a fight) He is very stationary and upright and can’t slip a serious punch.
5. Saw him lift his left foot up at least 1,5 feet before stepping in to punch.
He has no footwork, no upperbody or head movement and he also doesn’t know how to properly use his glove in high guard or to protect the body.
His reflex is not to parry shots to the body with the elbow but to lower the hand (sometimes both hands!). Canelo or Crawford can do this but Garcia’s knowledge and skills are nowhere near that level.
His defense consists mostly of putting 2 arms out and leaning back and turn his head away or else clinching.
And his final means of defense is (what I could clearly see during the freezing images on my screen)….
6. He closes his eyes. A lot of people have already seen this, he closes his eyes when he punches but I also saw him turning his head and closing his eyes when backing away from punches.
The problem is, that this i.m.o. isnt’ really a technical error but more an fighter’s character error that is hard if not impossible to correct at this stage in his career.
When you first start fighting or are untrained, no matter what art, this is like the first reflex you have and which you should lose in like what, the first year of sparring? Blinking is normal but just completely closing your eyes?
This seems to show that Ryan Garcia is actually really afraid of being hit in the face. I have never seen this in a professional boxer, i have only seen this behavior when a wrestler tries to avoid punches.
(Lomachenko actually talked about his sparring with Garcia and said that RG was “terrified to show his face”)
Ryan Garcia has speed and power but you can’t rely on these assets your entire career to win fights (if you’re not a heavyweight) with this many flaws. I am actually curious how he will cope when this no longer will be enough.
His ecstatic celebration of winning the fight and interviews afterwards, isn't a encouraging sign to me that he is really aware of his major weaknesses.
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