Meet Ryan Garcia, Olympic Hopeful

Young amateur standout making his name known

The young teen has dreamed of this for as long as he can remember. As the National Anthem plays, he sees the American flag slowly rise. He feels the gold medal hanging down from his neck, covering his heart which is beating like a drum. Standing on that Olympic podium, hearing the roar of the crowd, he can’t help but beam with pride as emotion wells up from within.

The boxer thinks back to the many years of sacrifices that both he and his family made while coming up through the ranks. He remembers the countless hours of training, the traveling they did all across the country going from show to show, and of the lonely hours in the gym wondering how far his dreams could take him. He relives the whole process, the whole rigamarole he’s been part of for more than a decade. He recalls all the morning weigh-ins, the matchup routines, the long waits in the dressing room before once again putting on the tank top and headgear that amateur boxing requires. He thinks of the discipline and focus instilled by his mother and father that propelled him to this pivotal point.

And he is grateful for never ever giving up on his dream.

A dream. Right now, this Olympic vision is just a dream for young prospect Ryan Garcia. Participating in the 2016 Summer Games is his main goal as he continues to chop down the competition, one show, one tournament, one foe at a time. Garcia–just 11 years old–and his parents, brother and sister are all fully committed to making this dream, this fantasy, a reality in the 2016 Olympics when Ryan will be 17 years old, the minimum age for competition.

Only time will tell if we will be seeing Ryan Garcia’s wholesome young face smiling back at us from a Wheaties box. But as any professional champion knows, the years spent in youth boxing builds experience and tests their dedication in pursuing a successful pro career. So these next seven years of training and competing is what the boy must maintain his laser-like focus on in his quest for Olympic glory.

The adolescent is off to a great start. Fighting since he was eight years old, he now has well over 50 bouts to his credit. Garcia recently won his division in the Blue and Gold Tournament, where you have to earn your invitation to compete. This annual show for open division fighters features the brightest stars in amateur boxing. Ryan was the victor in the 75 pounds Open Division, 11-12 age bracket. Next on the schedule is the November 5-8 Silver Gloves District Tournament in South El Monte where Ryan will battle the best of the area’s mini-pugilists. At this show, he will be joined by his younger brother Sean, 9, who will also be fighting.

The talented youngsters are part of a family that loves and supports the sweet science. “Ryan wakes up shadow boxing,” laughs his father. “That’s his alarm clock!”

While once a novice, he took to the sport immediately. “We hear him in the morning hitting the Cobra bag on his own–rat-a-tat-tat,” Henry says. “He loves it; he doesn’t miss a beat. Ryan wakes up and starts boxing before he even washes his face or brushes his teeth!”

Parents Henry and Lisa also have one daughter, Kayla, 5, and both mom and dad are active as USA Boxing officials. “The reason we wanted to join USA Amateur Boxing was because we enjoy the sport so much,” Henry explains. “So why not be part of this great organization?” He also coaches Ryan in some of his bouts. Both sons train with the private “Bam Bam” Boxing Club. “It’s run by Bernave Jimenez,” says Garcia. “One of his most prominent boxers who he trained is Paul Banke.”

The Olympic hopeful and his family recently met former WBC Champion Banke at a tribute to cutman Chuck Bodak. Banke was impressed with the young boxer and encouraged him in his goals. And inside the gym, Ryan also got to meet two current pros in the fight game, Junior welterweight and WBO titlist Timothy Bradley and IBA welterweight champion Antonio Diaz. Antonio’s sons are also talented boxers moving up through the ranks and have been on the same card as the Garcia brothers. Both Bradley and Diaz are from the Coachella Valley area, not too far from the Temecula area where the Garcias reside. Bradley, also known as “Desert Storm” will be fighting Lamont Peterson on December 12 at Agua Caliente Casino in the nearby Palm Springs and gave Garcia some boxer-to-boxer advice. Ryan gets inspired by these heroes in the ring who have made it to the top of the ladder; he looks up to champs like these.

“My other favorite fighters are Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao,” says Ryan, saying he likes their style of fighting. Sibling Sean chimes in, “My favorite boxer is Floyd Mayweather.” But both boys agree that Oscar De La Hoya is also a top pick for them.

And while Ryan trains at least four days a week, the young athlete also excels in education. He is a straight A student and is even a member of the Gifted and Talented Education program (GATE) for mathematics.

No doubt Ryan plans to continue to keep his eye on the big “prize”–the 2016 Summer Olympics to be held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

“Ryan does plan to attend the 2016 Olympics. And we want to give as much support to our boxing boys as much as we can,” says Henry, the proud father of three. “This is his dream and we will support him throughout his career.” Ryan has already won major tournaments and has been voted “Outstanding Boxer” every year since he’s been competing. He won the “Outstanding Boxer” award at the Oxnard PAL show and won his division in the Junior Golden Gloves. At this pace, their Olympic dream is indeed a possibility.

Wonder if the family is learning any Portuguese in preparation of Ryan’s dream coming true?

In the native language of Brazil, I would like to say “Boa Sorte” (Good Luck) to the Garcia family as they continue on their Olympic journey.

We will be watching to see if young Ryan achieves his goals.

Keep on training hard, little champ! Your golden opportunity awaits.

Photos courtesy of Dominic Serna and Henry Garcia: Ryan Garcia in the gym with Antonio Diaz and Timothy Bradley/ Photos by Michele Chong: Ryan in the ring (Red and Black Trunks at the Gold Rush show)