Ryan Garcia comes clean about alcohol and drug use before Devin Haney fight
Ryan Garcia has admitted he was drinking on the day of his fight with Devin Haney last year, which the boxing star claimed was his ‘turning point’ to change his ways
Ryan Garcia has made the astounding confession he was drinking alchohol on the day of his explosive clash with arch-nemesis Devin Haney last year.
The 26-year-old commanded the fight from the get-go and ultimately clinched victory by majority decision. The drama kicked off a day prior when ‘King Ryan’ didn’t hit the scales correctly, missing weight, but the turmoil extended beyond that. He faced the music with the New York State Athletic Commission after testing positive for ostarine, an illicit substance, resulting in the bout’s outcome later marked as a no contest.
Currently, Garcia is in the final stretch of a year-long suspension handed down by NYSAC, along with shouldering a hefty $1.2million fine. Despite the frenzy surrounding the event, the boxing prodigy disclosed his battle with alcohol during preparation, including on the day of the bout itself.
“I am surprised I’m here right now,” Garcia candidly shared with “Ak and Barak” on an episode of RING CHAMPS. “I was drinking every day, every single day, even the day of the [Haney] fight. The day of the fight, I just got so involved in just trying to cope with whatever was going on inside. And like I said, I been struggling mentally for years, and it just wouldn’t stop for me. So, like I said, that’s how I cope with it.”, reports All Out Fighting.
For Garcia, his hiatus from boxing served as a moment of introspection, realizing that his behavior threatened to derail his career in the ring. As he candidly confessed, “The turning point [was] to realise, like, ‘Damn, bro, I’m f****** my life up,’ ” further admitting, “You know, and getting arrested was a big part of it. Almost losing my kid was a huge part of it.”
Garcia is now getting back into the ring, confirmed by Ring Magazine, with a fight against Rolando Romero, an ex-world champion, set for May 2 in Times Square, New York. Despite Romero’s formidable 16-2 record, he has seen defeat in two of his last four outings, halted by the likes of Gervonta Davis and Isaac Cruz.
Interestingly, Haney is lined up against Jose Ramirez in the same event. The presence of these two foes in the same setting might make for a charged atmosphere, should they cross paths during fight week.
A lawsuit was filed by Haney against Garcia last year due to his failure in a drugs test, leveling accusations including fraud and breach of contract. In January a settlement was tentatively reached and plans for a rematch are on the horizon later in the year, pending successful outcomes in their respective bouts.
