SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – APRIL 08: Ryan Garcia stands on the scale during his weigh in at the Alamodome on April 08, 2022 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Ryan Garcia successfully returned to the ring against Emmanuel Tagoe. He dropped Tagoe early, yet Tagoe managed to go the distance.
After 15 months since his last boxing bout, Ryan Garcia didn’t miss a beat against Emmanuel Tagoe, whom he battered for 12 rounds to a unanimous decision victory on April 9.
Garcia (22-0, 18 KOs) tried to give the fans at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, a quick, exciting show, and he was nearly successful.
In round 2, Garcia dropped Tagoe with a right hook. Tagoe got up on unsteady legs but managed to complete the round.
Garcia tried to end the bout in round 3, but Tagoe showed a chin and the ability to move. Garcia landed often, but Tagoe was crafty.
The rounds flew by, and Tagoe was hurt throughout the contest. Tagoe almost went down again in round 10 from a Garcia right but was skilled at holding to buy time.
Ryan Garcia easily defeated Emmanuel Tagoe but didn’t get the knockout he so badly desired
Garcia tried to the very end to knock out Tagoe, but Tagoe made it to the finish. All three judges scored the fight unanimously for Garcia.
It was Garcia’s first bout with new trainer Joe Goossen. He stopped working with Eddy Reynoso, Canelo Alvarez’s trainer, months before the Tagoe fight.
Tagoe (32-2, 15 KOs) talked a lot before the fight, but his bark was worse than his bite. The fighter from Ghana was in retreat for the entire matchup.
The 23-year-old Garcia was inactive due to mental health issues and a wrist injury but looked fast and dominant in his lightweight return.
Unified champion George Kambosos Jr. and WBC champion Devin Haney meet in Australia on June 4, but Garcia will likely need several more fights before he’s prepared for that type of challenge.