By: Sean Crose

Ryan Garcia is set to return to the ring for the first time in over a year. The 23 year old rising star’s opponent will be Emmanuel Tagoe, a man who is little known to casual fans but who holds an impressive 32-1 record nonetheless. The two men are now set to throw down at the Alamodome in San Antonio on April 9th. The fight will be aired live on DAZN and will be scheduled for 12 rounds in the lightweight division. “I wanna thank Emmanuel tagoe for taking this fight,” Garcia posted online Friday afternoon, “no one wanted to fight me bc they assumed i wouldn’t fight… I respect you and let’s give everyone a fight.”

The 21-0 Garcia, who is as much, or nearly as much, of a social media star as he is a boxer is nonetheless enormously skilled, with lighting-like speed and thunderous power. The Californian’s last fight was against the highly regarded Luke Campbell in January of 2021. Garcia stopped his man in the 7th, erasing all doubt as to the seriousness of his talent. Injuries and emotional issues have kept the fighter known as “King Ry” away from the ring since that time. Now, with a fight set, all eyes will be on the flashy lightweight.

Although he’s young and brash, Garcia appears to understand the dangers of the fight game. “I got to go into the mode like I’m ready to die,” he said about readying for a fight during a recent interview. “I need to be right with God. I need to be right with everything.” During that same interview, Garcia complained: “People aren’t giving me any credit for what I do…I am going to prove that I am THE best fighter in my weight class.” Before he does that, however, Garcia will have to get past the 33 year old Tagoe.

Although he hasn’t taken on anyone as well known as Garcia, Tagoe has nonetheless earned himself an impressive resume. After losing his first fight as a pro, the native of Ghana went on to win 32 fights in a row. He hasn’t lost since his pro debut close to 18 years ago. Known as “The Gameboy,” Tagoe now finds himself with the opportunity of a lifetime, a chance to shock the fight world and get his name in the conversation of top lightweights.

“My birthday gift,” promoter Oscar De La Hoya (whose birthday it was on Friday) tweeted. “The return of @RyanGarcia vs Emmanuel Tagoe April 9, from @Alamodome in San Antonio, TX. Let’s go.”

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