Ryan Garcia is on cloud nine following his triumph against Devin Haney. In contrast, Garcia was touted as the underdog against the former champion. Primarily because, in the lead-up to the bout, he admitted to drinking and indulged himself in many antics to promote the fight. Even after the bout, personalities like Chael Sonnen continue to talk about the lead-up of the bout, especially the shenanigans of the 25-year-old boxer.
In a recent video posted by the former UFC fighter, Sonnen makes an intriguing analogy and compares the marketing tactics with that of NBA legend Dennis Rodman. The NBA star in the late 1990s and was highly acclaimed for his skills.
However, he was quite an eccentric character. In many ways, Rodman was an outlier of sorts as he used to cross-dress, dye his hair, and all in all was unapologetically himself. Garcia, in many ways similar to him too, does not fit in, and that is why Sonnen compares the two. In his video, he said,
“I was going to say Ryan Garcia, and there was a basketball player named Dennis Rodman. I was just going to compare those two because they were very open and used that as part of their media, using it as part of their marketing.”
Ryan Garcia addresses his critics- “You really thought I was crazy?”
Garcia often finds himself at the center of criticism and scrutiny. However, for the most part, he defies all of them and pays no attention. But in the post-fight interview, he felt the need to address to the same.
According to him, there is no reason or merit for the fans to hate him. This was because he tried to be a role model of sorts for his fans by preaching the Almighty’s name. He said,
“Come on, guys, you really thought I was crazy?! You lost your whole mind!” He later continued, “My left hook is my left hook. That’s blessed by God… You guys overegg everything. You guys hate on me because I’m pretty and s**t. That’s f***ed up… I put my f***ing reputation on the line.”
Surely, Garcia had a lot on his chest. However, this win legitimizes him and adds respect to his name. Not to mention, it now allows him to fight many reputed fighters across divisions.
