By: Sean Crose
He was over an hour late for the press conference. When he finally did arrive, it was atop a white horse. A video had been making the rounds where he was seen ostensibly getting high. When asked about his lifestyle during the press conference, he admitted to drinking and smoking marijuana. Later that same night he posted an old and embarrassing video of his next opponent having a difficult time in sparing. Without doubt, Ryan Garcia, one of the most popular and lucrative stars in all of boxing, was taking the sport on a strange ride, so strange a ride, that fans, journalists, and analysts began asking whether or not he was even behind the controls.
Just how strange has Garcia’s behavior been as of late? Strange enough that some are wondering if his scheduled April 20th fight with Devin Haney is even going to go down anymore. If Garcia is, as has been argued, messing with everyone’s collective minds, it’s to the point where people are now thinking he might want to worry about his own. Make no mistake about it – boxing fans can be a cruel bunch. Sometimes they even luxuriate in that cruelty. When they start showing genuine concern, it’s time to either end the routine or admit the reality of the situation.
Garcia, like many truly talented individuals, has always been something of an outlier. He’s explosive and fun to watch in the ring, but has never bothered fighting for a world title, opting instead to rely on his popularity and thunderous power. He has a huge social media presence, one which, along with his ring skills, allowed him to get a contract with Gatorade – and odd thing for modern boxers. Still, the young Californian hasn’t decided to just sit back and count his money, choosing instead to fight the likes of Gervonta Davis – who stopped him in the ninth round last year – and Haney – a walking, talking skill set who will likely defeat Garcia if/when they fight in a few weeks.
It’s good to remember that fighters have always had a tendency to be an obnoxious bunch. That’s literally been the case since at least the bare knuckle era of the late 1800s. Sure enough, behaving oddly can be a sound strategy for a fighter. It helps get inside an opponent’s head. When yours is the head people are talking about however, it might be wise to step back and reflect a bit.
