Ryan Garcia usually does not have good relations with boxers who have their father as trainers. Who can forget the ongoing rivalry between KingRy and Devin Haney? Well, even if you do forget, Haney’s father Bill Haney won’t let you by constantly ridiculing and trolling the Victorville native.
It looks like Ryan Garcia is ready to make another father-son duo furious as he puts Floyd Schofield Jr.’s father on notice, especially over his dismal win earlier this month. In an interview with FightHype, Garcia opened up about the role of father as a trainer and how Schofield Sr. might be derailing his son’s progression as a boxer.
Ryan Garcia considers Schofield Sr. a hindrance
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During the interview with FightHype, the interviewer asked ‘KingRy’ to reflect on the statement made by Timothy Bradley about banning the father-son duos from the sport. Last year, in a conversation on the 3 Knockdown Rule podcast, Bradley stated, “I think boxing needs to ban father-son. Ban it! Your father cannot be your trainer.”
Agreeing with Bradley’s statement the 24-1 boxer stated, “There’s a lot of fathers that get in the way of their sons like know progressing and developing.” However, he does not think banning is the solution because “if it(partnership) doesn’t damage them(boxers), I don’t think that it should, you know, be a big issue.”
Garcia then praised Vasiliy Lomachenko and his father for the way they have managed their personal and professional relation. “You see with Lomachenko’s Dad. I don’t think he, you know, messed up his development,’ stated the 26-year-old.
The former WBC interim lightweight champion accepted the fact various fathers hinder the growth of their sons and mentioned the names of Kid Austin and Teofimo Lopez. He stated, “But as far as like you know Floyd (Schofield), I think his dad, you know, kind of stopped his development. Teofimo Lopez, his dad does it, just like kind of obvious ones.”
He agreed with the fact that trainers like these who can’t help their fighters grow “shouldn’t be training their son.” While Ryan Garcia has made it clear that he does not think Schofield Sr. is a good trainer for his son, ‘Kid Austin’ thinks otherwise as he has grown from homelessness to stardom alongside and with the help of his father.
Kid Austin’s inspiration
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A few years ago, in an interview with KVUEabc, the Schofield father-son duo reflected on their journey out of the dumps. The 22-year-old boxer stated, “Me and my dad were homeless at some point, but we made it through.” Back in the 2000s, the Jersey City native spent three years without a home.
However, as soon as they got back on their feet, Schofield Sr. took his young son to the boxing gym. While the gym was a therapy for Schofield Sr, it became a building block for shaping his son’s career.
The father-son duo has been together their whole life through thick and thin. Kid Austin admires his father and, according to him, “It’s just like having my best friend in my corner. I can’t really ask too much from him because he’s done everything for me.” On the other hand, Schofield Sr. considers it a dream to have a quick learner like his son under his tutelage and would not change it for anything.
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So, even though Ryan Garcia and Timothy Bradley have expressed their concerns over having their father as trainers, it looks like the Schofield boys have no plans of separating.
What are your views about Ryan Garcia’s comments? Do you think Floyd Schofield Jr.’s growth is being hindered by his father? Let us know your thoughts down below.
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