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Ryan Garcia Addresses Fight Cancellation Rumors; Gives Update on Training Ahead of Devin Haney Fight

Published 03/16/2024, 3:38 PM EDT

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Ryan Garcia’s social media accounts have become a major cause for concern for the organizers of his upcoming match. However, in a fresh video, the fighter tried to alleviate such concerns by giving an update to his followers on how his training for the upcoming Devin Haney fight is turning out.

Earlier, the fighter went live on his Instagram, with a bottle of alcohol, seemingly drunk. In it, he refused to undergo a New York State Athletic Commission mental health evaluation, something a lot of people have been suggesting given his alarming behavior across his social media platforms. Moments after that, he not only mentioned taking a break from social media but also did so by disabling his accounts. Now, in another u-turn, he’s back like nothing happened.

“I feel perfectly fine”

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Hours after his social media accounts had vanished, they were back online. In his first post after the short-lived social media break, ‘KingRy’ seemed more optimistic than ever before. Giving clarity on the rumors of his fight against Haney being canceled, he noted, “I don’t know about you guys, but I feel perfectly fine. About to head to the gym, spar. So all that ‘cancel the fight’ talk, stop all that. We’re training hard. We’re just passionate… just because I’m not just a boxer, doesn’t mean something’s wrong.”

The California-based fighter is slated to fight two-division champion Devin Haney on April 20th at the Barcley’s Center in Brooklyn, New York. Ever since the fight was announced, and the first presser of it took place, Ry has been rather off his game on social media. It all started when he mentioned in an interview that he had consumed marijuana.

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Later in a series of social media antics that followed, concerns regarding his physical safety and mental well-being became the talk of the day. While a small section of his followers believe that all of this is a tactic to promote his fight, others feel there’s more to it. Will all of these result in the fall of the biggest fight of his career?

The 25-year-old’s online activity had also prompted the WBC to get in touch with the New York Boxing Commission under whose jurisdiction his next falls.

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WBC Prez breaks silence on Ryan Garcia

Speaking to talkSport, WBC president, Mauricio Sulaiman mentioned that he’s directly speaking with the New York State Athletic Commission regarding Garcia’s concerning behavior in regards to his social media posts. He explained, “Yes, absolutely. We’re in direct talks with the New York Commission where the fight is to take place,” he noted, “With the postings by Ryan Garcia, of course, there has come a lot of concern in a diverse array of topics.”

However, the president did not divulge much regarding the cancelation of the fight. He further remarked, “But I have spoken to him. He’s a very nice kid. He has a full training camp going on, and I believe he will be in a position to fight, but we are addressing the situation without a doubt.”

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The WBC and the NYSAC will need to clear the fighters before the fight hits the floors. Do you think Ryan Garcia should participate in a mental health evaluation prescribed by NYSAC? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Written by:

Mohammed Shafiulla

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Mohammed Shafiulla is a Boxing writer at EssentiallySports. With a Master’s degree in Journalism from a reputed institute, Shafi has cemented his position as one of the astute observers of boxing at ES. One of the early supporters of Naoya Inoue, Shafi has covered his transition from a Japanese boxer with a niche fan following to a power-punching global boxing star.
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Edited by:

Gokul Pillai