Ryan Garcia’s pre-fight antics have left many uncomfortable, including talkSPORT boxing expert Adam Catterall.
Ahead of his blockbuster fight against Devin Haney, Garcia has certainly made an impression with his recent antics.
3
The 25-year-old looked completely out of control as he showed up for the ceremonial weigh-in on Friday, having already missed weight and thus losing his chance to fight for the WBC super-lightweight world title.
The fight will continue live on talkSPORT on Saturday night, but as a non-title fight as boxing fans worry about Garcia after a strange showing on Friday where he appeared to drink a beer (which was actually apple juice and soda water), shouted to the crowd and began to pray on stage.
This includes talkSPORT pundit Catterall, who believes the build-up has been a disaster for boxing.
“It was one of the most difficult and uncomfortable watching moments I’ve seen in the build-up to a fight,” he told Carlton Cole on Friday night.
“When the fight happened, I was all in. Because these two guys in this weight class, Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia, seem like guys who chase big fights.
“Devin Haney, consummate professional. Leave him out because he’s just going to be Devin Haney.
“But watching Ryan Garcia over the last six to seven weeks has been really uncomfortable as a Ryan Garcia fan. Not only has he said things that you think ‘damn, that’s a little out of character.’
“He’s incredibly inconsistent, he’s all over the place, not giving off the best signs and the biggest one of all was today.
3
3
“Ryan Garcia, who previously fought at 135 pounds, is overweight at 143.2 pounds. This is his first world title attempt, Ryan Garcia.
“Because he lost weight, the title is not available to him. He cannot fight for the title. This has been an absolute calamity from start to finish.”
In addition to causing a stir at the weigh-ins, Garcia also made several bizarre social media posts, even celebrating her missing weight.
Meanwhile, Haney said: “He is completely unprofessional. I told him yesterday that his antics would betray him and that’s just the beginning.
Sports
