Ryan Garcia has threatened to sue the commission that is staging his showdown with Devin Haney next month after it was claimed that they have insisted he take a mental health evaluation ahead of the bout.
‘King Ry’ is poised to partake in one of 2024’s most high-profile bouts, but a string of erratic posts and ongoing concerning behaviour has raised eyebrows, as well as suspicions that the 25-year-old could withdraw from the fight.
The New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) have supposedly requested that Garcia undergoes a mental health evaluation before what will be his first attempt at securing a world title.
Although on social media, ‘King Ry’ felt as though NYSAC were breaching his rights with such a request, announcing his intentions to sue them for defamation of character, with his health being called into question.
“Is it not my U.S. constitutional right to have free speech?”
“So because I’m tweeting what I’m tweeting, that’s premises for a mental evaluation? That’s curious. Now you are trying to mess with my constitutional rights, now I am going to sue you. I’m going to sue you for defamation of character, actually.”
Meanwhile, NYSAC are yet to publicly respond, Golden Boy Promotions’ spokesperson, Stefan Friedman, insinuated that Garcia may have to appease NYSAC and take the test to ensure the Haney fight goes ahead, in an interview with ESPN.
“As is the case with all Golden Boy fights, we are in close contact with the commission and sanctioning bodies and will of course follow any and all rules and regulations to ensure our fighters are ready on fight night,”
Garcia has history of pulling out of fights due to his wellbeing in the past, famously opting out of his 2021 clash with Javier Fortuna to better ‘manage his health and well-being’.