Ryan Garcia ‘Expelled’ By WBC After Racist Comments Against African-Americans, Muslims
Ryan Garcia has become even too much for one of his greatest supporters.
The already suspended boxer is now barred from participating in any WBC-sanctioned events in and out of boxing. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman took the hardline stance after Garcia’s latest online meltdown, which included racist and islamophobic remarks towards African-Americans and Muslims.
“Exercising my authority as president of the WBC, I am hereby expelling Ryan Garcia from any activity with our organization,” Sulaiman stated Thursday through social media. “We reject any form of discrimination.
“I fear for [Ryan’s] wellbeing as he has declined multiple attempts for our help with mental health and substance abuse.”
The reaction came hours after Garcia (24-1, 20 knockouts, 1 No-Contest) spent much of the July 4 holiday spewing hate.
“I hate n*****s, I’m anti-black, I’m the KKK,” Garcia insisted during a live X Space. “Hey, let’s go bring George Floyd back to life and go kill that n—– again.”
George Floyd was an African-American man who was murdered by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in May 2020. The incident sparked a riot which began locally and spread throughout the U.S. Chauvin was sentenced to 22 ½ years on two counts of murder and one count of manslaughter.
The hosted Space came as Garcia stated in a since deleted X post, “Fuck all n*****s and fuck all Muslims.”
Garcia is already ineligible to fight anywhere in the U.S. through next April.
The 25-year-old Victorville, California native tested positive for the banned substance Ostarine surrounding his April 20 fight versus Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs; 1 NC) in Brooklyn, New York. Garcia was credited with a majority decision win that evening, though it came with the taint of his badly missing the 140-pound weight limit. It was converted to a No-Contest after the June ruling.
Golden Boy Promotions, Garcia’s promoter, has yet to comment on the matter. The topic will undoubtedly come up during the William Zepeda-Giovanni Cabrera fight week events. The weigh-in takes place Friday ahead of Saturday fight night on DAZN from Toyota Arena in Ontario, California.
Ryan’s parents addressed the matter immediately after Sulaiman’s declaration.
“Our son has recently made statements that do not align with his, or our family’s, true character or beliefs,” Henry and Lisa Garcia said in a joint statement released through the WBC. “Our family unequivocally does not support any statements he has made regarding race or religion — these do not reflect who Ryan truly is and how he was raised.
“Those who know Ryan can attest to this fact. Ryan has been open about his ongoing struggle with mental health over the years and as a family we are committed to ensuring and encouraging that he receives the necessary help to navigate this very challenging time and address both his immediate and long-term well-being. We appreciate the continued support, prayers and compassion.”
The call for help was met with a mix of sympathy and receipts. Henry Garcia was called out by Haney during a March 1 press conference after he repeatedly referred to Bill Haney, Devin’s father, trainer and manager, as a “nappy-headed motherfucker.”
Henry Garcia also pleaded for his son to get help for alcohol abuse, during a recent interview with Fight Hub TV.
The gesture was dismissed by Ryan, who claimed to have already quit drinking.
Garcia is already ineligible to fight anywhere in the U.S. through next April.
The 25-year-old Victorville, California native tested positive for the banned substance Ostarine surrounding his April 20 fight versus Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs; 1 ND) in Brooklyn, New York. Garcia was credited with a majority decision win that evening, though it came with the taint of his badly missing the 140-pound weight limit.
By that point, Garcia had already exhibited troubling behavior, which raised concern over whether the DAZN Pay-Per-View event would move forward.
Things grew far worse after the multiple positive drug tests were revealed, at which point Garcia further spiraled downward. He has since fired his longtime adviser, Guadalupe ‘Lupe’ Valencia. Garcia referred to the noted attorney as ‘Al Haymon’s puppet’ during an interview with FightHype.com.
A plea agreement was reached with the New York State Athletic Commission in early June, after Garcia unsuccessfully proved contamination as the cause for Ostarine in his system. In fact, his effort to prove it only raised more questions as to whether the open supplement containers were manipulated prior to submitting to the lab. Per the agreement, Garcia was suspended one year from the April 20 fight, fined $10,000 and forced to forfeit his contracted purse of $1,100,000.
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