Ryan Garcia brands Hall of Fame ex-coach ‘traitor' before Barrios fight

Ryan Garcia slammed his Hall-of-Famer ex-coach Joe Goossen for joining rival Mario Barrios ahead of their WBC welterweight title bout scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026.

During the introductory press conference, the 27-year-old professional American boxer used the “alleged betrayal” storyline and described his former trainer as “a traitor”.

The social media influencer, accompanied by his father-trainer Henry, threw a shirt with the word “traitor” printed on the back toward his former coach.

When asked if he was really heartbroken over Barrios being trained by Goossen, Garcia shared a sly smile without saying anything.

In an interview with CBS News, the boxer said, “I am going to rip this dude’s head off and I am going to beat him badly in front of Goossen.”

He added that it motivates him to “whip his opponent’s a** more just to show that I don’t care who is training him.”

For those unfamiliar, Goossen, 72, worked with Garcia as his head trainer for three consecutive fights, before parting ways in 2023.

Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) and Goossen parted ways on good terms; however, the industry rumours suggest that the former WBC interim lightweight title holder never truly bought into Goossen’s teaching.

Garcia is set to face Barrios for a pay-per-view headliner inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday at 7:55 p.m. ET.