Ryan Garcia shocked the world on Saturday night.
Over the last few months, Garcia has exhibited behavior unbecoming of a champion. He announced to the world that he would be divorcing his wife literally moments after she gave birth to their third child. He had a complete and total mental breakdown on social media, spent more time drinking and partying than actually training, and even got kicked out of a New York Mets game during fight week.
Still, none of that mattered once he stepped inside the ring at the Barclays Center. Garcia delivered a career-defining performance, putting his opponent, WBC super lightweight world champion Devin Haney, on the canvas three times en route to a majority decision win.
That winning moment for @RyanGarcia ✨#HaneyGarcia pic.twitter.com/MFF40UpwIl
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) April 21, 2024
Haney was an 8-to-1 favorite to come out on top.
Following his win, Garcia revealed what many of us suspected — that he’d been drinking heavily throughout his fight camp. In fact, ‘King Ryan’ admitted to drinking every single day.
“I don’t give a f*ck what people say about me,” Garcia said at the post-fight press conference. “I walked through the fire, and still held it down and still beat f*cking Devin Haney, and still drank every day and still beat him — I did everything.
“What happened? False reality, right? I drank every single night, went out on the first Monday and Tuesday, and drank, drank, drank. What happened? I won. I’m not necessarily proud of it, but I’m just saying. It was a statement to say you guys can’t really f*ck with me. I can do whatever I want.”
Ryan Garcia says he drank and smoked every day in camp during the lead up to his fight against Devin Haney 😭
“I walked in the fire… and still beat f***ing Devin Haney, and still drank everyday. And I smoked, I did everything.
I drank every single night, went out on the first… pic.twitter.com/gSGFPRNTR9
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 21, 2024
Ryan Garcia Drank Heavily to Help Deal with His Personal Turmoil
Garcia left the ring with some pretty big bragging rights. Had he not shown up more than three pounds over the 140-pound weight limit on Friday, he would have also left with Haney’s WBC title.
“I was just having fun, man. Look, I’m going through a lot,” Garcia said. “I went through a divorce, and a lot of sh*t is happening to me, you know, outside my life, and it low-key kind of broke me. So, I did what I felt like I needed to do to feel okay.
“So, I drank every day and did whatever I wanted. I’m not proud of it at all. I just pray for my kids, and hopefully, they are okay. I hope I made them proud.”
Garcia moved to 25-1 in his pro boxing career, his lone loss coming against Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis in April 2023. All, but five of his wins have come by way of knockout.
As for Devin Haney, ‘The Dream’ suffered his first-ever loss, snapping a 31-fight unbeaten streak. Despite the defeat, Haney remains the WBC super lightweight champion since Garcia missed weight.
Watch Garcia’s full appearance at the post-fight press event below:
