Just twelve months ago, Ryan Garcia seemed to have the world firmly at his feet.
By age 24 he had amassed an undefeated professional career in 23 fights, wowing fans with his exceptional hand speed and knockout power and becoming one of the most recognizable talents in the sport.
Better yet, Garcia had bucked the much-maligned trend in modern boxing where the best often don’t seem to fight the best by agreeing to face pound-for-pound great Gervonta Davis.
The clash between the two undefeated stars was an instant hit at the box office, reportedly selling over one million pay-per-view buys and generating $22.8 million at the box office.
In the end, Garcia would come out second best in the battle of the lightweight superstars.
Ryan Garcia surrendered his undefeated record in a blockbuster clash with Gervonta Davis
The 25-year-old went down with a left hook to the body in the seventh and failed to beat the referee’s count.
But Garcia returned to the win column in December to reestablish himself as a contender.
Davis landed a huge left hand to the ribs in the seventh round that forced Garcia to the canvas and he couldn’t beat the referee’s ten count.
Despite giving up his undefeated record that night in Nevada, Garcia reaffirmed his ambition to eventually hold world title gold when he returned to the ring in December with an eighth-round knockout of Oscar Duarte.
Then, in January, García surprised his fans with a double revelation on social media. First, he revealed that his wife Andrea Celina had given birth to his son, with healthy mother and son.
Just an hour later he shared a now-deleted post announcing that he and Celina were divorcing, although he insisted the split was amicable.
‘While this decision marks the end of our marriage, it is important to emphasize that our relationship as co-parents remains our top priority.’ She wrote on Instagram.
‘Throughout our years together, Dea has been an incredible partner and an even more extraordinary mother to our two children. I am deeply grateful for the years we shared and for her unwavering commitment to our family.’
In January he announced in a social media post that his wife Andrea Celina gave birth to their son.
Then, just an hour later, Garcia announced that he and Celina were getting divorced.
Since then he has announced that he has a new girlfriend, Australian influencer and model Mikaela Testa.
Amid so much turmoil in his personal life, Garcia seemed to focus on his craft and the following month a blockbuster clash with Devin Haney was announced for April 20.
The pair were long rumored to face each other in the professional ranks having split six amateur fights between them with both fighters emerging victorious three times.
Once again, Garcia would test his skills against the sport’s top talents, but this time with the added incentive that the WBC super lightweight title is on the line.
However, since the announcement, fans have become concerned about the 25-year-old’s well-being.
Allegations of drug use began to arise from Garcia’s sometimes erratic behavior online.
At a press conference over his confrontation with Haney, Garcia responded directly to the accusations by insisting that his indulgences are no more severe than those of his contemporaries.
“I want to clarify some things,” Garcia said Thursday. ‘I don’t use cocaine. “I drink and smoke marijuana, as do most people in this room.”
García also announced his new girlfriend Mikaela Testa, an Australian influencer and model with more than 400,000 followers on Instagram.
Garcia is currently scheduled to return to the ring next month to face Devin Haney.
The pair fought six times in the amateur ranks, and both achieved three victories.
He also claimed to be training Mikaela in the boxing ring, and asked cross-promotion ‘Misfits’ to sign her up for a fight in a post on his social media.
Garcia then sparked widespread concern with a post on his X and Instagram accounts that showed a shaky clip of an unidentifiable individual inside a home that appears to be his.
”We got it guys. RYAN GARCÍA RIP B****. 666″, is written over the clip, “The video is exactly 666 in time. WE TOLD THEM WE WERE COMING.’ Then follows a stream of random letters.
The Instagram caption only generated more alarm as it referenced “the death of Ryan Garcia.”
The comments section was flooded with messages from concerned fans, but Ryan’s father, Henry Garcia, insisted the post was simply “trolling.”
“Yes, Ryan is fine, he’s just trolling in the wrong way,” he wrote in response to a fan asking if Garcia Jr. was okay. ‘There’s no more. Trust,” Henry added later.
However, his assurances did little to calm angst among his followers.
The star’s ex-wife, Celina, took to social media to reveal that while she was able to contact Garcia following the concerning post, he is not feeling well.
“If all my followers who are believers can pray for Ryan,” she wrote on her Instagram Story.
However, fans are concerned for Garcia’s mental well-being following posts on social media.
His father, Henry Garcia, also provided a small update to assure fans that the boxer was fine.
However, his ex-wife insisted that he is not well and implored his fans to pray for him.
“We are not together and I have been in contact with him and he may seem to be fine, but he is not. I know in my heart that he is being very oppressed.
“This is not a troll, I am really worried and so are all his family members.” We are not a part of any of this and we want it to get better, but this IS REAL. Pray for him.’
Garcia has previously detailed his struggles with mental health, having battled intrusive thoughts during a particularly difficult episode that led him to take a hiatus from competition in 2021.
“When that was happening to me and I couldn’t find a way to get it out of my head, it frustrated me,” he said. DAZN.
“I had a lot of different thoughts, suicidal thoughts, I went through a difficult time but I fought through it.”
Garcia has also endured a strained relationship with his promoters at Golden Boy Promotions.
In many ways, during his rise, Garcia had been seen as a spiritual successor to Golden Boy frontman Oscar De La Hoya.
An exciting and highly marketable fighter with the support of American and Mexican audiences, Garcia seemed to fit the mold that had made De La Hoya a pay-per-view superstar during the 2000s.
Garcia has also had a long-standing strained relationship with his promoter Oscar De La Hoya.
The Golden Boy boss invoked Garcia’s mental health issues in a tweet late last year.
Although he appeared to take Garcia under his wing in Golden Boy, De La Hoya has frequently clashed with the 25-year-old in the media, and even took aim at his “mental state” in a now-deleted social media post from November.
“I have to say that I am really concerned about Ryan Garcia’s mental state,” De La Hoya wrote in X.
‘Considering his history of mental instability (which he has documented himself), his current erratic behavior shows that he is clearly not focused on Saturday’s fight. You won’t take my calls, Ryan. I hope you’re well.
Contacted by Mail Sport for comment on Garcia’s recent behavior, Golden Boy Promotions has yet to respond.
History is littered with examples of fighters finding the highest level of combat sports to be equal parts lonely and overcrowded, potentially lucrative and destitute, inspiring and heartbreaking.
One can only hope that Garcia receives the support he needs to be able to reach his potential and continue his career while finding peace outside of the ring.
For help, call Samaritans on 116123 in the UK or visit www.samaritans.org, or Suicide & Crisis Lifeline on 988 in the US.