Ryan Garcia Back on Mitts, Eyes Closed and Mouth Wide Open

Ryan Garcia showcased his blazing hand speed while working out on the mitts at home today. His speed still looks top-notch as he recovers from five months of rest after hand surgery.

Old Habits Die Hard

Fans on social media criticized Ryan’s form in his mitt workout, noting that he had his eyes closed and mouth wide open throughout. This is a habit that Kingry has demonstrated in the past, and he has yet to correct it. Having eyes closed is bad enough, but to have his mouth wide open, that’s asking for trouble. How in the world did Garcia not fix this problem all this time?

It’s a stubborn flaw that could explain why Rolly Romero beat Garcia on May 2, 2025, in a fight Ryan was supposed to win. Rolly totally dominated Kingry, dropping him in the second, and walking him down unopposed to win an easy 12-round unanimous decision.

Garcia still hasn’t named his next opponent. His promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, of Golden Boy Promotions, has recommended that he take the remainder of 2025 off and return to the ring in 2026.

The Risk of Becoming Irrelevant

It’s not ideal for Ryan to sit inactive until next year, as he’d already been out of the ring for 13 months following his victory over Devin Haney on April 20, 2024. He had an excuse for not fighting then because he’d been suspended for a year by the New York State Athletic Commission due to his testing positive for a banned substance from his win over Haney.

If Ryan is healthy enough to fight, he should at least get one tune-up level fight in before the end of 2025 to get him ready for a bigger one in 2026. That performance against Romero showed that Garcia needs to fight as often as possible to sharpen his game.

A rematch with Haney would be another big payday opportunity for Garcia, but for that kind of fight, he needs to get ready. Devin is likely to be on his bike in a second fight against Ryan, and it won’t be easy for him to get near enough to land his left hook. To help sell the fight, Garcia should get a win under his belt to show the fans that he’s come back from his loss.