Ryan Garcia temporarily silenced talk of mental health with his stunning upset of Devin Haney on Saturday, but many questions remain.
After Garcia displayed erratic and alarming behavior on social media in interviews and press conferences in the weeks leading up to his boxing match at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, many people thought he was When he entered the match, it made me wonder if this was just the work of a troll. He entered the ring and dropped Haney three times along the way, winning by a stunning majority decision.
It’s still unclear how involved Garcia was in the conversation around him, but in the aftermath of his victory, he insisted many of the actions shown to the public were justified.
“I don’t care what people say about me,” Garcia told reporters after the game. “I walked through fire and still held the fire, I beat Devin Haney, I drank every day and I still beat him. I did it all.
“What’s going on? It’s a false reality, right? I was drinking every night. The first Monday and Tuesday[of fight week]I went out and drank, drank, drank. What happened? I won. Not necessarily. I’m not bragging, I’m just saying. It was a statement that you guys can’t really date me. You can do whatever you want.”
‼ ️ Ryan Garcia in post-fight press conference after defeating Devin Haney: “Who’s the craziest right now? I was drinking every night. So what happened? I won.” ”
[🎥 @GoldenBoyBoxing] pic.twitter.com/lj9A21Qec8
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) April 21, 2024
Garcia and Haney have a long history dating back to their amateur days. The two have faced each other seven times in total, with Garcia currently holding the advantage with four wins and three losses. Despite the competitiveness of the series, Garcia was a heavy betting underdog heading into this fight, largely due to questions about his mental stability.
The 25-year-old admits his life is far from perfect and perhaps this win will be a turning point.
“Look, I’m going through a lot,” Garcia said. “I went through a divorce, and there were a lot of terrible things happening to me outside of my (boxing) life that kind of broke me to say the least, so I’m okay with that. I did what I thought I had to do to feel that way.
“I drank every day and did whatever I wanted to do. I’m not proud of it at all. I just pray for my kids and hopefully they’re okay. They I hope you are proud of me.”
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