Ryan Garcia will face one of his toughest challenges on April 20 against Devin Haney. Many, including Mike Tyson’s ex-trainer, Teddy Atlas are quite concerned for him. Why? Because in the last few months, the young boxer has appeared to go off the rails. The star boxer has been constantly indulging in controversial statements and conspiracy theories, and once even claimed that he was kidnapped.
While he is drawing attention to himself, the boxing world is unsure if he is even training to face Haney. On top of that, he is hardly seen at the gym. On social media, he is seen training in hotel rooms and parking lots instead of gyms. As Atlas gave a brutally honest assessment of the 25-year-old, he asserted that Garcia is not looking fight-ready. On his channel, he said,
“He is hitting pads and even then his muscle tones did not look good. He did not look like he was in shape and it was in the midst of all this craziness. If the New York Athletic Commission which I called for a month ago on this air did not have him evaluated by some of their doctors and I mean on a psychiatrist level—not just Physical.”
The athletic commission holds the responsibility to make sure that fighters are healthy coming into the fight. Moreover, the health of the fighter should not only be defined by physical health but also mental health, something that Ryan Garcia seems to be struggling with. In any case, the fight appears to be on and both fighters are confident. Garcia, despite being scrutinized, continues to make bold claims about beating Haney.
Ryan Garcia not short of confidence ahead of fight with Devin Haney
Haney predicts that he will defeat Garcia via a stoppage. So much so, that his father even vowed that he would be stopped inside a round. Subsequently, as a mental tactic, he made a wager with Garcia. During the press conference, the father of the undefeated fighter asked,
“Ryan, if you get knocked out in the first round, will you retire?” To which, Garcia responded in affirmative and said, “You have my word.”
The stakes were already high. However, with this wager on the line, this fight is now more finger-bitting than ever. So, with just days left, let it get unveiled as to who will outshine who.
