You can add Ryan Garcia’s name to the lengthy list of seemingly premature combat sports retirements.
The 25-year-old, who improved his career record to 25-1 with a stunning win against the previously-unbeaten Devin Haney in April in a contest that remains, for now at least, under the watchful eye of the sport’s drug-testing authorities, stated in a sequence of posts to the social network formerly known as Twitter on Wednesday that he is calling time on his career.
“I’ll still be training but I’m hurt and done with it and everyone,” Garcia wrote. “The sad part is I’m a great boxer. And I entertain and knock people out. I’m sad bc I [love] boxing.”
He added in a separate post: “I’m officially retired.”
I’m officially retired
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) June 19, 2024
The announcement comes as a particularly tumultuous time in Garcia’s career. Following the Haney win two months ago, he tested positive for the banned substance Ostarine. However, he maintains that he did not knowingly ingest the substance. He was also recently arrested for alleged criminal damage at a hotel in Beverly Hills, with his lawyer, Darin Chavez, stating that the boxer “has been grappling with devastating news regarding his mother’s health.”
“Mom has cancer,” Garcia wrote online. “I’m being sued. My supplements were tainted. Going through a divorce. Always GETTING SH*T TALKED on the internet FOR YEARS. Devin asking for my victory to be taken away. I’m getting hit with everything. I STILL LOVE GOD, HE IS EVERYTHING.”
“Boxing will be alright without me. But still sucks I was fun in the game,” Garcia added. “And it was fun to punch people.”
It remains to be seen if Garcia’s retirement will last, as both boxing and mixed martial arts have several notable cases of fighters announcing. retirement only to reverse their decision in the weeks or months afterwards.
