LAS VEGAS – Lightweight Alan Garcia suffered a knockout loss two fights ago, but he will proudly rebuild with the one who got him to this point. 
Garcia will face Cristian Medina Garcia in an eight-round bout on May 10 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California.
Garcia, 15-1 (11 KOs), whose moniker is, “Kid Kansas,” a tribute to Ulysses, Kansas, where he is from, suffered a knockout loss to journeyman Ricardo Fernandez in September. He bounced back earlier this year in February, winning a unanimous decision over Juan Centeno. Still, many forget he has fought since the knockout or are even unaware of his last fight. Garcia detailed the punch that stopped him.
“I remember from the moment that I saw the punch coming and I reacted so quickly, I didn't even give myself time to catch the punch and counter,” Garcia told BoxingScene. “I dropped my hand, turned right into the punch, and boom. I saw the ropes, and I said, ‘Damn, I’m on the floor,’ and I heard the referee counting, and I got up.’
Garcia got to his feet, but referee Raul Caiz Jnr waved the fight off. 
“I felt like my equilibrium was so far off because he caught me right on my money,” Garcia, 22, said. “I was just in so much disbelief.” 
Garcia recalled that once he got to the backroom, everything hit him. 
“I was in camp for 13 weeks, and my team was behind me through it all,” Garcia said. “It didn't just hurt me, but it hurt my team because we're close like that. So, just having the real support from my team and having that love and care for each other, it pushed me and made me want to be greater.”
Sometimes, when a fighter loses, blame is cast. Someone might get moved out of the way or someone might be brought in. Garcia didn’t hesitate to stay with Gloria Alvarado. Alvarado had taken legal guardianship when he was 17 to train him. Garcia is originally from Ulysses, Kansas, but now trains in Los Angeles with Alvarado and her daughter, “Right Hook Roxy,” Iyana Verduzco. Despite losing, he never doubted his team. 
“That's the thing, I wouldn't want to make with another team,” Garcia said. “Fighters too often lose and then they switch trainers because they want to blame it on their trainers, but I'm the fighter. I'm the one in the ring. I'm the one who made the mistake and I paid the price for it.”
In his upcoming fight, he faces Mexico’s Garcia, 8-2-1 (5 KOs), 24, who is coming off a loss in December to Oscar Alan Perez. Despite the defeat, his belief in his team is still intact, especially with his trainer, Alvarado. 
“I wake up and I know I got someone. She's not only just my trainer, but she's also my advisor, manager, and my nutritionist as well,” Garcia said. “She cares for me more than just a coach. She treats me like a son and she's always got my best interests in mind. She's just always looking out for what's best for me. We push each other every day.”