The only thing that has changed is the date on the calendar.
When World Boxing Council (WBC) Super Lightweight Champion Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia (24-1-0) met for a press conference at the Palladium Times Square on February 27, it was abundantly clear that the title challenger was not in the best frame of mind. His opponent, Devin Haney, accused him of showing up to the presser with alcohol on his breath and displaying the after-effects of inhaling cocaine. The 140-pound title challenger didn’t admit to being intoxicated at the press conference. Instead, he said, “I drink and I smoke weed. And so has the majority of this room.” Garcia is not wrong. About one in six New Yorkers say they drink excessively and the city is the cannabis consumption capital of the world. With that said, there’s one minor difference between Garcia and those who attended the February 27 press conference: none of us volunteered to box one of the best fighters in the world on Saturday, April 20. Garcia did.
Nearly two months have passed since Garcia and Haney’s first press conference and little has changed. From the outside looking in, Haney appears to be the more focused, disciplined athlete. Meanwhile, Garcia has spent the last few weeks spewing conspiracy theories via social media and challenging the likes of UFC Champion Jon Jones to a boxing match that will never happen.
When the two met for their second and final press conference on April 18, Haney, dressed like an extra in a Men In Black reboot, appeared unphased by his opponent’s antics, but more concerned about his ability to meet the 140-pound weight limit on Friday, April 19. In fact, he went as far as to bet him $500,000 to see if he would meet the weight limit. As for Garcia, he was relatively quiet for most of the event before eventually hopping back into the character he’s become — a loud, brash and volatile 24-year-old who admitted that “the weight of the world feels like it’s on [his] shoulders.” More specifically, he threatened to put his genitals in the mouth of the mother of a person in the crowd.
“She fine as f—. I want your Mom now. Your Mom is probably in my DMs. F— you, mother f—. Don’t talk about my Mom,” he shouted.
“I will f— you up. That fear is coming in your mouth like a b—. I’ll put my d— in your mouth, you b—. Pause, no Diddy.”
Garcia wore a bulletproof vest while spewing obscenities into the crowd, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that he’s the biggest threat to his own safety. No, he is not the first boxer to drink, smoke, promote conspiracy theories or shout vulgar words into the crowd during a pre-fight press conference. He also won’t be the last. However, all of Garcia’s actions entered concerning territory when the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) attempted to mentally evaluate the boxer less than six weeks before the fight. His estranged wife adds to the concerns when she writes, “[Can] all [of] my followers who are believers, please pray for Ryan? We are not together, [but] I’ve been in contact with him. He may seem fine, but he is not. I know, in my heart, he is being heavily oppressed. I’m genuinely concerned.” More recently, Garcia’s “Spanish Teacher” and social media influencer, Jayline Ojeda, said, “I wasn’t going to say anything, but I’m probably the only girl that’s ever rejected Ryan and that didn’t want to have s— with him and didn’t even want to kiss him. I was happy to do the interview [because] I thought he was cool, but once he was drunk, he was a completely different person.”
Skeptics may dismiss Garcia’s peculiar and potentially harmful behavior as simply an attempt to throw Haney off, but there’s a reason people have uttered the following statement for decades: If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck. Garcia has spent the last six months talking about the Illuminati and alleging that he was tied up in the woods and forced to watch children be raped. Adding to the validity of the boxing public’s concern, he’s openly admitted to needing professional help in the past.
“When I was deep in it, I didn’t think I was going [to] live. I was so [depressed] and I went to bad habits,” he told Inside Boxing Live Host Dan Cannobio in 2021.
“I started drinking and I never drink, ever. But I was getting drunk all the time. I wanted to kill myself at one point…It was so bad, so intense, that I thought maybe I just rather not be here. I didn’t understand what was going on. I needed professional help.”
Fast forward two years, Garcia’s decision not to “duck” any of the world’s best fighters may ultimately be his demise. The Victorville, California native has a frightening blend of speed and power that has taken down 24 of his 25 opponents, but that wasn’t enough to demolish Gervonta “Tank” Davis. Suppose Haney’s last fight against Regis Prograis indicates the type of boxer he’ll be in the super lightweight division. In that case, Garcia’s speed and power alone won’t be enough to dethrone the WBC Super Lightweight Champion Champion. To be everything that Garcia’s talent indicates that he can be, he needs to be focused, mentally well and prepared for the challenge ahead. Unless Garcia is genuinely an Academy Award-winning talent, it doesn’t appear that he’ll be ready for the challenge ahead on Saturday or, frankly, any of the future championship opportunities that may present themselves in the near future. As Haney succinctly put it, “something is wrong” with Ryan Garcia, and if it isn’t addressed, there is no telling what could happen in a sport as unpredictable as boxing.
