Former interim WBC lightweight champion Ryan Garcia has been banned by the World Boxing Council for professional boxing following a series of racist tweets targeting African-Americans and Muslims. The ban, announced last week, came less than a month after Garcia received a one-year suspension from the New York State Athletic Commission after testing positive for PEDs.
The decision to suspend Garcia was announced by WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman via X on July 4.
Garcia also had a professional win over Devin Haney on April 20, 2024, but the bout was ultimately called a no contest due to Garcia testing positive for PEDs. As it stands, this will be Garcia's final bout in his WBC career. Here's everything you need to know.
What did Ryan Garcia say?
Garcia has launched a furious tirade on social media, making multiple derogatory remarks about Muslims and African-Americans, and even making disparaging remarks about George Floyd during a conversation on X-Space.
Garcia reportedly made racist remarks, including slurs against black people, and called himself a KKK member. At one point, Garcia reportedly said he wanted to revive Floyd and “kill that (expletive) again.”
Questions about Garcia's mental health had been around for a while leading up to this rant. Prior to his recent fight with Haney, fans had noticed Garcia acting differently and more sporadic. Garcia claimed this was an effort to help promote the fight, but the questions persisted. Sulaiman's post on X also stated that the WBC offered Garcia counseling for mental health and substance abuse, but Garcia always declined.
Ryan Garcia's comment
Following backlash against his comments, Garcia backtracked, claiming that he had been “trolling” and that his friends had been provoking him. Garcia pointed out that this was not an excuse for his actions, but rather an attempt to acknowledge his selfish behavior.
“I love you all and I'm sorry if I caused any offense,” Garcia wrote in X's now-deleted post. Garcia has since apologized again online.
Is Ryan Garcia banned?
As it stands, Garcia is banned from competing in WBC events. Could Garcia be poached by another organization? Probably, but any organization that tries to sign him at this point would receive a lot of negative press. Plus, even if Garcia does compete in non-WBC professional events, they probably won't be as big as they once were.
Ryan Garcia's professional boxing records
Garcia is 24-1 with one win coming by no decision after his bout with Haney was changed to a no decision. Garcia has won 20 of his bouts by knockout. His lone loss came on April 22, 2023, to current WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis.
Ryan Garcia’s Net Worth
Prior to this incident, Garcia was not only a celebrated professional boxer, but also a social media superstar. Outside of boxing, Garcia had several sponsorship and endorsement deals with brands. Currently, Garcia has 12.4 million followers on Instagram.
Overall, Garcia's net worth is about $50 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, which estimated his net worth at $20 million a year ago.
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