Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed that he is concerned over the mental wellbeing of Ryan Garcia, following his uncharacteristic behaviour over the last week.
Garcia is poised to fight for a world title for the first time in his career next month, as he takes on Devin Haney in what has fast-become a grudge match for the WBC super-lightweight throne.
During the build-up, Garcia has posted a picture of himself smoking marijuana, sparking concern from Hearn, who told iFL TV that the 25-year-old needs to get into fight camp as soon as possible.
“He just didn’t seem himself at the presser, if I am honest. I think that I have been around a lot of people and a lot of fighters that I have seen go through problems and I have never been wrong when I’ve thought to myself ‘this person has got an issue here’.”
“I don’t think that they’ll mind me talking about it because it is a valuable lesson, one with Scott Fitzgerald and another one was Ammo [Austin] Williams, who thankfully came through the other side of it and has done brilliantly well.”
Hearn then went on to say how he noticed those changes and hopes Garcia can avoid going down the same path.
I saw that with Ammo and obviously I saw it with Scott and they are both very different situations, and I think that I can see it in Ryan too, and I do worry.
“I just noticed mannerisms around them, and this was nothing to do with substances, but you just see something changing mentally and emotionally in their behaviour.
“Forget about the fight, I hope that he makes the fight, but he really needs to get into training camp. I’m worried about the people that he has got around him, he’s not even my responsibility, but what I have seen in the last few days and obviously what came last night, is erratic behaviour and erratic behaviour stems from something.”
