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(NewsNation) — Fans and friends of boxer Ryan Garcia are growing increasingly concerned about the fighter ahead of the highly anticipated junior welterweight title showdown with Devin Haney in Brooklyn on Saturday night.
Garcia has a history of erratic behavior in the past year that has grown more concerning since February. He has posted odd rants on Instagram and Twitter, including a video claiming he was dead, talked about things like demons and UFOs and claimed Elon Musk was the anti-Christ.
But now, people in the industry are truly worried. Something appears very off with Garcia, and he may not be ready for Saturday’s fight.
On Tuesday, Garcia and Haney had a “stare down” on top of the Empire State Building in which they exchanged words and had a shoving match. The two were separated before it could go any further. However, Garcia was then disinvited from throwing out the first pitch at a Mets game and then immediately threatened the team by saying he would “expose” them. Then, instead of going to the gym to prepare for the fight, Garcia decided to blow off steam at the bars.
Video has surfaced of Garcia partying, drinking and dancing on tables at an unknown bar, and apparently the boxer partied so hard, he was a no show to a TV interview at NewsNation affiliate WPIX the next morning.
“There was no explanation,” an insider said. “He just didn’t show.”
Things have gotten so bad that former world champion Tim Bradley has commented publicly on Garcia’s “mental instability.”
“A couple of weeks ago, we were saying, ‘Something is not right. Something is wrong upstairs.’ We didn’t know where he was psychologically because he was all over the place. We were worried about that,” Bradley told the Probox TV channel.
Many are saying Garcia hasn’t been the same since his loss to Gervanta Davis last spring, and even Bradley said Garcia may just be in this fight with Haney for the payday.
Garcia and Haney have fought each other six times as amateurs — each winning three matches — and this will be their first fight as professionals. According to Sports Illustrated, Haney has a record of 31-0 with 15 KOs, while Garcia’s record is 24-1 with 20 KOs.