Ryan Garcia was not in the best of shape when he stood across from Devin Haney in one of the most critical matches of his career. He was bigger, more muscly than ever before. Despite his splendid job against ‘The Dream,’ he was struggling physically and pushed his limits to bag the win. And that’s not it.

Henry Garcia, Ryan’s father, explained the situation when he sat down with boxing veteran, Shane Mosley. When asked by the former welterweight champion how comfortable the 25-year-old boxer looked against Haney, the Garcia family lynchpin instead admitted that his son wasn’t “totally” into the training. He drew a parallel with the Oscar Duarte fight, where the lightweight boxer was focused, which wasn’t the case with the Haney fight. He said, “He seemed comfortable, Shane. But he wasn’t in shape. My son wasn’t in shape, a 100% for Devin.”

Even before Garcia entered the squared circle, his failure to make the weight for the fight had seized eyeballs. This proved a costly affair for him, as the Victorville native had to shell out $1.5 million to Haney as a penalty. But it eventually worked in his favor, as the weight advantage only added to his power. When asked whether it was a pre-planned thought, Henry Garica didn’t have any explanation. “I don’t have the answer for that. I feel real bad, but I mean, I have to be honest.”

“My son was in better shape with Oscar Duarte than he was [against] Devin Haney. If you look at my son fighting Devin Haney, he only fought in spurs. He wasn’t consistent. He would fight, and then he would slow down,” he added, commenting on Ryan Garcia’s lumbering movements during the Haney fight. This shocking revelation stands in stark contrast to the results of his doping tests.

Garcia, at 25-1, has been on the receiving end of scathing criticism for alleged PED use after his failed VADA results. According to it, a PED called Ostarine was found in his samples taken before and after the fight.

However, he has vehemently denied the claims and most recently even called it a “witch hunt.” He has pleaded his innocence several times and lashed out at the Haney camp and Eddie Hearn for setting him up. Moreover, the American boxer has shifted his focus to Errol Spence Jr., as the two have recently engaged in verbal warfare.

Ryan Garcia is up for the demolition job of Errol Spence Jr.

A sizzling rivalry between Garcia and Spence Jr. has been brewing between the two in recent months, as Garcia is not happy with Spence Jr.’s ongoing non-payment of fees to their trainer, Derrick James. The two have clashed on social media numerous times and have hinted at exchanging blows in the boxing ring.

Garcia vented his anger at Spence Jr. to DAZN. He declared, “I need that. I’m going to take his head off… I’m going to finish the job like he’s not going to be like boxing anymore after he fights me.”

Notably, ‘The Truth’ has been campaigning for a fight with Sebastian Fundora for his unified super welterweight title now since announcing his move up the division. Meanwhile, Garcia has indicated his willingness to move up in weight to fight Spence Jr. So, it remains to be seen whether the two will try to lay their rivalry to rest in a boxing match.

What do you make of this revelation about Ryan Garcia? Do you believe his fitness was the reason he fought in spurs against Devin Haney? Let us know in the comments below.