Is Ryan Garcia Cut Out For Boxing?

Naturally, there have been question marks over whether Ryan’s previous performance against Haney was due to the presence of PEDs in his system. The boxer has already been out for a year after the ban following the failed tests, meaning that further time on the sidelines at the age of 26 is not ideal for his career. 

Garcia has also developed a reputation for spending too much time on social media, with many believing that has impacted his boxing skills. Garcia has an extensive following on Instagram, with over 10 million followers, while he has over a million followers on X. That has enabled his marketability in becoming one of the most recognized boxers in the world. That also helped him secure a reported $50 million for the Devin Haney fight, with reports he earned $30 million for the Tank Davis fight. 

Commercial value is just one aspect of boxing, as fighters have to deliver in the ring. Ryan has come up short in his two biggest fights against Tank Davis and Devin Haney. Meanwhile, his loss to Romero was against someone who many believed he would knock out.

His Camp

Garcia has also shown that he cannot get his training set-up stable. Since leaving Joe Goossen after the Tank Davis defeat, Ryan has switched between Derrick James and Eddie Reynoso. The two coaches have differing styles, with James focusing on boxing fundamentals. Meanwhile, Ryan’s time with the Reynoso showed a tendency to look for knockouts. 

Garcia has also been accused of making the same mistakes, indicating a failure to work on his game. He has been dropped by Luke Campbell, Tank Davis and Romero all in the second round. A large part of this has been Ryan’s tendency to keep his hands low and lean backwards, which has left him open to counters. 

There is also the question of whether Garcia believes he can win a world title. His best chance was against Devin Haney, someone whom he had beaten during the amateur circuit. However, his failure to make weight, despite the failed tests, showed that he lacked the discipline required at world level. And with his previous struggles with mental health, Garcia must now ask whether he wants to continue boxing.