Ryan Garcia has suddenly found himself on the defensive against the best fighter in the world.

The jabs are being thrown through the media instead of in the ring, as both boxers recently went on record regarding the circumstances surrounding Garcia’s decision to leave trainer Eddy Reynoso’s stable. Garcia and Reynoso worked together for more than three years, during which time the unbeaten lightweight also developed a strong bond with Alvarez (57-1-2, 39KOs), the four-division and reigning super middleweight king and Reynoso’s star pupil.

Garcia (21-0, 18KOs) announced on February 11 that he will now work with renowned cornerman Joe Goossen, The split with Reynoso seemed amicable at the time, as reflected in a statement from Garcia’s independent publicity team. However, it also came on the heels of a past interview Alvarez conducted with Complex magazine last November where he stated that Garcia was “wasting a lot of time and wasting his talent. I look at him and don’t see him 100 percent dedicated and, to us, that’s a bad signal.”

The claim came at the time when Garcia was recovering from hand/wrist surgery after withdrawing from a fight for the second time in 2021, as he was due to face former IBF junior lightweight titlist Joseph Diaz Jr. last November 27. Garcia cleared the air upon learning of the comments, stating that he understood what Alvarez meant though questioning the claim that he lacks inspiration and dedication. Alvarez’s recent interview with ESNews’ Elie Sekbach on Monday further questioning Garcia’s commitment to putting in the work in the gym came with a sterner response this time around from the rising lightweight contender.

“Canelo doesn’t know the facts,” Garcia insisted on social media in response to the ESNews interview. “The first camp I had with [E]ddy went great then everything went bad. [H]e only showed up two weeks before [the Francisco F]onseca fight (in May 2019) and that’s when I first asked my manager to talk to him about finding a new trainer.”

The reply by Garcia was in line with his official comments earlier this month, seeking a trainer who can dedicate more one-on-one time. However, additional allegations were made—including the claim that Reynoso fumbled the snap on unbeaten welterweight knockout artist Vergil Ortiz Jr. (18-0, 18KO) joining the team, along with committing less time with other clients.

“Vergil Ortiz left [because E]ddy never showed,” insisted Garcia of the point when Ortiz was ready to secure a new trainer after parting ways with Robert Garcia. “[Heavyweight prospect] Frank Sanchez had a fight where [E]ddy only showed up the day of the fight, so ask [C]anelo to explain that!”

That said, Garcia isn’t as interested in a public feud with Alvarez—who he previously often referred to as his big brother—as he is in moving forward with his career.

“Let’s stop the back and forth and focus on the fights at hand,” noted Garcia. “[By the way], got nothing but respect for Eddy, it’s just the truth. The truth also is that’s not even the main reason I left deciders to part ways. Canelo knows why I’m just going to keep it to myself and focus on the fight I have.”

Garcia is presently scheduled to face Ghana’s Emmanuel Tagoe (32-1, 15KOs) on April 9 from Alamodome in San Antonio. The fight will be his first since a seventh-round knockout of England’s Luke Campbell last January 2, his fifth and final win under Reynoso after having joined his stable in October 2018.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox