Dallas native and "Trainer of the Year" is growing perhaps the most prolific stable in the boxing world. He has recently added former unified heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua to his gym. Now he's adding a Pay-Per-View star and one of boxing's most recognizable faces to his World Class Boxing Gym in Dallas. Ryan Garcia, a Victorville, California, native will embark on his run to a world title run in the incredibly deep and talented 140-pound division alongside Coach James. Garcia has made a habit of changing camps. He split ties with Joe Goosen following his seventh-round stoppage loss to Tank Davis in their pay Per View blockbuster that generated well over a million PPV purchases. The southern California native, who is just 24, took to Instagram and posted a picture with his new trainer. "I'm searching for greatness, I'm looking to improve. I'm looking to be a champion with Derrick James. I feel he can guide me and mentor me." the fighter said.
Garcia previously was trained by his father and had worked with Goosen as an amateur. In 2018 he began working with Canelo Alvarez's trainer Eddy Reynoso and his team. Garcia went 5-0 and had all five wins by knockout. He then switched camps and began working with Goosen following a long layoff due to mental health concerns that kept the 24-year-old out of the ring. Garcia returned in April of 2022 and fought Emmanuel Tagoe in the Alamodome and scored a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision.
James's incredibly deep stable includes Joshua, as well as unified welterweight champ and DeSoto native Errol Spence, as well as Houstonian Jermell Charlo, who has all the belts in the division north of Spence. James also works with undefeated, blue chip lightweight Frank Martin who is coming off the best win of his career against Michel Rivera. Now adding Garcia, puts James in a position were he could, in the relatively near future, control world titles at every weight class from 135 to 154. James was a solid professional and compiled a professional record of 21-7-1 (12), competing mainly between the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions.