For world-class boxers like Jose Ramirez, training is the one thing that can make or break their career. It’s not like they get to show off their punching power, speed, agility, and endurance on fight nights without spending years preparing their body and minds off-camera. In a demanding sport like boxing, professional fighters must dedicate months to training camps when a fight is about to come up. They have access to a well-equipped team as well, from trainers and nutritionists to physiotherapists who make sure that the athlete can push his body to its peak.
Apart from developing a skill, there is an array of exercises that help boxers show up like beasts in the square. That may include running, HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training), mitt work, sparring, strength and conditioning, and finally, boxing drills. It’s not an easy job, and that is a part of being an exceptional athlete.
Luckily, for Ramirez, he has the kind of team that complements his drive for training rigorously. One thing about him is that he’d train even for a fight that has been postponed. And, for that, he needs to have an exceptional trainer like Robert Garcia by his side, who is there to guide him and push him to his limits. With Ramirez preparing to punch Devin Haney just a few days from now on May 2 at Times Square, New York, here’s everything to know about the team backing him up in the background.
Meet Robert Garcia, Jose Ramirez’s trainer and coach
Robert Garcia, who had been an IBF super featherweight champion once, became Jose Ramirez’s trainer after the latter won the WBC light welterweight title in 2018 under his then trainer, Freddie Roach’s guidance. After becoming the world champ, Ramirez took his agent and manager, Rick Mirigan’s advice to join Garcia’s stable, seeking a trainer who matched his excitement and ambition.
Not to miss that even Roach was there by the champ’s side for three and a half years, pushing him towards his dream of becoming a world champion. With a heavy heart, Ramirez left Wild Card (Roach’s gym) for learning and growing in the sport. According to Boxing Scene, Garcia was following Ramirez’s career right from the 33-year-old’s amateur days. He used to see him fight in Fresno, and the 2012 U.S. Olympian also occasionally visited Garcia’s gym in Oxnard, California, for sparring. So, this is where the groundwork for an eventual partnership was laid.
By this time, Garcia too was already a reputable trainer. You see, he has guided 13 world champions until now, including his brother Mikey Garcia, Nonito Donaire, and Marcos Maidana. Garcia also has a gym, known as the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy, in Riverside, California, where the 29-2 boxer trains tirelessly for his bouts. To commit himself completely, Ramirez went to the length of renting an apartment near the gym, to avoid commuting from Los Angeles.
Soon, Jaguar started defending his world title and went on to add the WBO light welterweight belt to his collection, when he knocked Maurice Hooker out during the sixth round, in June 2019, at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. This was the peak point in the American boxer’s career. Slowly, he stabilized in his newly learned skills, successfully defending his unified status against Viktor Postol in August 2020. Then, something unexpected happened.
It was time for Ramirez to elevate his status, and for that very reason, he went ahead to fight an undisputed bout against Josh Taylor in 2021, the then IBF and WBA light welterweight champ. Unfortunately, for Ramirez, that was the last time he held his two world titles. And, ever since, he’s been trying to regroup from that first ever loss in his career. Later, even Garcia’s gym relocated to Moreno Valley, California, where Ramirez shifted his training in March this year.
As of now, Garcia is still his trainer, and in January he was named as The Ring’s Trainer of the Year for 2024.
Who is Jose Ramirez’s manager?
As we mentioned, Rick Mirigian is and has been Jose Ramirez’s advisor, manager and you could say, agent since 2010. At that time, Jaguar was just a young amateur boxer. It was Mirigan who helped the former champ steer his career through local sellouts, world title wins, and high-profile unification bouts like that against Victor Postol.
In fact, his suggestion for Ramirez to make a switch to Rober Garcia was one of the most fruitful ones. Because that is what led to the unification victory over Hooker, and other title defenses he made. Sure, some have also thought that Mirigan’s promotional tactics are a bit controversial, but they have kept Ramirez relevant in the boxing landscape, securing him some very high-profile bouts like Taylor and not the upcoming match-off against Haney.
And why would he not? Mirigan really stands in Ramirez’s corner through thick and thin. He’d seen the young fighter defeat a 20-year-old in 2010, and then he simply couldn’t stop from introducing himself.
When Ramirez had turned professional in 2012, it was Mirigan who helped Ramirez sell 3,000 tickets for his first show, at the Golden Eagle Arena in Fresno. That sellout was way beyond what Top Rank had expected for a small card. Subsequently, the number has just gone up, just like the years in their partnership have since went on.
Jose Ramirez’s teammates and sparring partners
Once Ramirez moved to Robert Garcia’s gym, he had ample exposure to competition that was alike in terms of skills and boxing accomplishments. Notably, the most Ramirez has sparred with was the then rising star Virgil Ortiz Jr, and the veteran boxer Josesito Lopez. That is where Ramirez got to shape his agressive fighting style.
Just recently, two more names, Lindolfo Delgado and Raymond Muratalla, have been added to the list of sparring partners. So, for the Haney bout, now you know whom Ramirez is training with. Although Ramirez got to sharpen his boxing skills through sparring sessions with those better than him, he has been a mentor to many. Hector Tanajara (28 years old) and Albert Gonzalez (23 years old) being two of them.
And, while Ramirez used to be at the Wild Card gym previously, he even sparred with Manny Pacquiao once. “It was an amazing experience,” Ramirez told ESPN. “It was a big honor to get that opportunity to spar with Manny Pacquiao. He’s a fighter who is very, very active in the ring. His footwork is amazing. He’s very explosive. He has speed moving forward. It was great. I learned a lot. It was a real confidence booster to be in there with him because I was in there with the best.”
So, Jose Ramirez definitely has the back of so many people, and most of them are world-class boxers like himself. Being backed by such a determined team, Ramirez was able to put everything in him for the unified light welterweight championship status, and who knows, he might achieve that again. Sure, for now, it is a rough patch for Jaguar, given his last loss from Arnold Barboza Jr.
But, if he manages to defeat Haney on May 2nd, the cards might as well turn for him. And then, he can move on to the quest of challenging Mario Barrios, the current WBC world champion in his division. What are your thoughts?
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