Ryan Garcia has announced his potential path to retirement; but only if he is successful against four big names.
The popular 25-year-old American has set his on sights on defeating fellow Americans Devin Haney, Teofimo Lopez, Shakur Stevenson, and Gervonta Davis. Before hanging up his gloves for good. With the first of these fights already lined up, Ryan Garcia has stated he wants “only big fights.” Devin Haney is the first on that list, with the long-standing rivals set to meet for the first time in the professional ranks.
Ryan Garcia
Ryan Garcia faces the biggest fight of his career on April 20th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. With both fighters facing off several times in their amateur careers, both parties are confident they can get the win. The pair have long been connected so it was inevitable that this fight took place.
Whilst the pair have always been linked, their careers have taken slightly different trajectories. Devin Haney is the former Undisputed Lightweight Champion and the current WBC Super-lightweight Champion, beating Regis Prograis for the vacant belt in his last outing. Garcia in comparison has a more stop-start career, although he did beat Luke Campbell by way of knockout for the WBC Interim Lightweight Championship.
The talented American has become a big name in the world of social media. Amassing over 10.3 Million followers on his Instagram account. It is no secret that Ryan Garcia has struggled with his mental health. He has faced criticism for his social media from other fighters such as future hall of famer Saul “Canelo” Alvarez who publicly criticized his commitment. Following his departure from Eddy Reneyso’s stable. Ryan has previously taken time away from the sport to work on his mental health in 2021. He pulled out of a scheduled fight with Javier Fortuna, citing that he needed to “manage my health and wellbeing”. Garcia also stated that he has had suicidal thoughts in the past.
Should Garcia Fight Haney?
In the lead-up to the biggest fight of his career, once again his mental state has been brought into question. The night before the first press conference for Haney vs Garcia, only 7 weeks before the fight, he posted a photograph on his Instagram smoking what appeared to be cannabis. Garcia confirmed this in the conference, stating he “smokes weed and drinks alcohol,” after accusations of him using cocaine were made by Haney and his team.
Other prominent figures of boxing have called for Garcia to be pulled out of this fight. Eddie Hearn spoke to IFLTV advising that he does not believe Ryan is mentally fit for this fight. Caleb Plant has accused the young fighter of being unfocused. It is certainly easy to see why others in the sport and fans have called for this fight to be canceled with his strange appearances at both of the press conferences.
Garcia Hits Back
The brash fighter has hit back at accusations of his mental health. He’s stated that his mental health has been better than ever since his defeat to Gervonta Davis. “After that Tank fight, it really changed me – it awoke my competitive spirit,” Garcia stated. Now working with renowned trainer Derrick James, Garica says he has found a new love for the sport. Garcia further added that the defeat flicked a switch, “I woke up. I was like, No I’m different. I’m about to go and destroy everybody now.” It was only shortly before his previous fight against Oscar Duarte that his promoter Oscar De La Hoya took to X to criticise his fighter’s “state of mind.”
Haney and his team did not appear so certain. With regular warnings to Garcia not to pull out of the fight. Haney himself doubts the fight will even take place on the 20th of April, with the added jibes that Garcia quit his first stoppage defeat to Tank. Haney will certainly be looking to pile the pressure on his amateur rival, especially with Garcia pledging to retire if Haney can knock him out in the first round. Whilst unlikely, Haney is certainly the favorite to win the fight.
The build-up promises to remain eventful. Afterward, Garcia hit back at the Haney Camp releasing sparring footage of Haney sparring “Tank” Davis in Floyd Mayweather’s Gym.
Do you think Garcia should pull out? Let us know in the comments below.
Featured Image Credit to Embed from Getty Images
