Ryan Garcia had time to think.
The star boxer seemed to become uncontrollable for most of 2024, both in his personal life with Toxicomania and with his actions before and after his successful boxing match against Devin Haney. In one way or another, through all this, Garcia organized the best performance of his career against Haney on the way to a majority victory-until he failed a post-match drug screening test which led to a year's suspension and that his career changing victory is canceled in non-knowledge.
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Ready to return to Box Roland Romero on Friday, Garcia talked about her year outside the Tuesday edition “The Ariel Helwani Show.” Garcia said he hadn't drunk alcohol since the camp start to Romero.
“I just have a completely different mindset this time.
“You must be professional, you must be on the point with everything if you want to be the best fighter in the world. So, (the other way) has worked for me once, but you cannot continue to do it, you cannot support this.
“It's just part of my story,” said Garcia. “This is one of those moments when I took care of everything I faced, but honestly, I don't regret anything. I don't regret anything in my life. I take just as ok, I learn from this moment.
Let's go back until the beginning of 2024 and Garcia, 26, had quickly become one of the most disturbed characters in combat sports. Garcia said he had never been worried about his security, whether through his altered shelters or what was attempts at self -proclaimed troll to other fighters. The thing has become so bad with Garcia that he even found himself prohibited by one of the main boxing organizations, WBC, after a dam of racist, homophobic and discriminatory social media tirades.
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Although there are no regrets about how he has lived his life, Garcia has remorse on an aspect on the way he led during this public spiral.
“With this day, everyone says a lot of crazy s ***,” said Garcia. “You see all the banners say what they want. It's just the kind of day and the age in which we are, but that's not the way I want to manage. It's just a kind of generation in which we live – everyone says stupid, and for a long time, people have said too hard.
“At the end of the day, I don't want to take this path. I just want to keep myself more professional and be the best fighter I can be, and not take myself in this sleigh game. Do I regret it all?
Haney's rivalry has warmed up, in part, to the Garcia pre-combat bouffons, but ultimately Garcia feels that there has never been too much heat between them. If anything, it was more the father and coach of Haney, Bill Haney, that Garcia still doesn't like it.
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“I had a little something with Bill yesterday, but other than that, nothing with Devin,” said Garcia. “Devin does not really speak. He is really his father. I don't think so much so told me anything. It always started with his father, so it's never him.
“(Bill) just said that I looked smaller. … He tries to say:” Oh, now you are not on the pedals “, that's what he was trying to say. I think Bill advances everyone, but it's good for boxing. Bill makes us leave, and I suppose that Devin takes on repercussions for the words of his dad.”
While Garcia was suspended, he tried to participate in an exhibition for the Japanese Federation Rizin Fighting against the talented Kickboxing Champion Rukiya Anpo, however The plans are gaseous after Garcia suffered a wrist injury.
Garcia is still open to a match in Japan, but he must first go through Romero at the big event on Friday in Times Square in New York – and probably after that, a revenge match with Haney. Despite the passage of his opponent originally Isaac Cruz, Garcia is ready to take place against his former combat partner.
Ryan Garcia and Rolando Romero compete during the big arrivals before their Welter WBA weight fight in New York. (Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy / Getty Images)
(Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy via Getty Images)
“As a person, he is hilarious without trying to be funny,” said Garcia about Romero. “It's just a guy who, I don't know, I like to be with him a little. He's just a funny guy, and I don't know if he tries to be funny for half of the time, but he makes me crack. I would be friends with him outside the ring, I think. Inside the ring, I'm ready to destroy this guy.
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“As our careers progressed, I just blown (Romero) out of the water. It was not close to my stratosphere with regard to performance and so on. I mean, he only had 16 fights, so he does not really fight, to be honest.
After spending most of his career with the Golden Boy promotions of Oscar de la Hoya, the immediate future of Garcia could be a convincing future in 2026. Romero marks the first of the last two Garcia fights with Golden Boy. After that, he plans to follow in the footsteps of many of his boxing colleagues.
“I have two other fights with Golden Boy, I think. After that, I don't see why not start my own promotion business and start directing my own business,” said Garcia. “I have the impression that it is the natural progress of any career as a superstar boxer. Oscar did it. Floyd (Mayweather Jr.) did it. (Saul) 'Canelo' (Alvarez) The fact almost; he is really signed to anyone.
“It is natural progression. This is exactly what it is, and if the promoters go crazy, I mean, they are really hypocrites somehow.”
