INSIDE THE RING: “King Ry” Returns to Texas

SAN ANTONIO – The “Golden Boy” himself, Oscar De La Hoya, teased on his birthday earlier this month that boxing was returning to the Alamo City.

Today, we got to see that the fights are actually coming to the Alamodome.

One of the most popular and rising stars, Ryan “King Ry” Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) will face Ghana’s Emmanuel “The Gameboy” Tagoe (32-1, 15 KOs) in a 12-round lightweight bout on Saturday, April 9 in the Alamodome. The fight is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and can be seen live on DAZN.

The 23-year-old Garcia won his last fight by technical knockout against Luke Campbell in January of 2021. However, it marked the first time Garcia was knocked to canvas in his professional career, that’s after Campbell delivered a brutal left overhand in the second round.

“I am excited and motivated to be back in the ring finally. I’m ready to do something special and give the fans a show they will never forget,” said Ryan Garcia via a press release sent this morning. “I always want to make sure I give all my fans something memorable every time I fight.”

Tagoe just turned 33-years-old in January and has only fought once since 2019 when he defeated Mason Menard by majority decision in Hollywood, Florida on November 27, 2020.

Pre-sale tickets are available through TicketMaster.com or at the Alamodome Box Office. Tickets officially go on sale to the general public on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m.

This will also be the first fight for Garcia with a new trainer after parting ways with Eddy Reynoso. Garcia explained last week on ESPN that he left his former trainer because Reynoso no longer had time to train him.

Both fighters will address the media on Tuesday, March 1 in Los Angeles, California during the Garcia vs. Tagoe press conference.

Daniel P. Villanueva has worked with KSAT 12 for over 18 years and is an award-winning producer. To submit story ideas, email dvillanueva@ksat.com