Boxer Ryan Garcia on his polarizing personality: "I feel like I'm harshly judged"
Professional boxer Ryan Garcia was in Dallas to train for the biggest fight of his career on Saturday, April 20.
Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) will take on undefeated champ Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) in Brooklyn.
While Garcia is well-known for what he does in the ring, he may be better known for what he says outside of it.
The 25-year-old boxer sat down with FOX 4's Sam Gannon to talk about some of the controversy surrounding him and his mission outside of the sport.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 29: Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia face off during the Ryan Garcia v Devin Haney press tour at Avalon Hollywood & Bardot on February 29, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty
Garcia believes boxing has been on a "downward slope" with the rise of sports like MMA, but he says he is working to bring it back.
"I pioneered the sport. Used social media to gain leverage and then give the fans what they wanted," Garcia said.
The boxer has a massive following on social media, with nearly 11 million followers on Instagram and over 7 million on TikTok.
Garcia is not afraid of speaking his truth, but with that comes plenty of criticism.
[REPORTER: "Why do you think you're disrespected so much?"]
"Because of the perception of who I am and what they think I need to be," said Garcia. "They think I need to be the clean-cut guy that never says a cuss word, that's perfect and is only a boxer."
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 16: Ryan Garcia (white trunks) lands a punt on Javier Fortuna in the fourth round at the Crypto.com Arena on July 16, 2022 in Los Angeles, United States. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
People have questioned Ryan's mental stability after recent controversial posts on social media, leaving many to wonder if Garcia's fight with Haney at the Barclay's Center would or even should happen.
As far as the fight is concerned, it is happening. Garcia says he's more than ready for April 20th.
"I feel, personally, I'm mentally okay, and my core team feels like I'm mentally okay. I don't miss a training session, I'm performing well. I'm lifting more than I've ever lifted, I'm sparring better than I've ever sparred," Garcia said.
The boxer recently took to social media to explain some of his more controversial posts.
"99 percent of what I'm doing is trolling," he said.
Garcia has gotten backlash for promoting conspiracy theories and making unfounded health claims.
"A lot of people like to look at the drinking or the weed. I'm not an advocate for it, but for me, I'm human. Those are things I do do. I don't feel like I abuse it," said Garcia. "I feel like I'm harshly judged."
Garcia said on Tuesday that he passed an evaluation and drug test to allow him to fight.
The 25-year-old is an advocate for mental health and has been open about his struggles with anxiety, OCD and depression.
He says his big mission is to help children.
Several of his posts online concern child trafficking.
"It's really mind-blowing where a person of my stature is just talking about protecting kids. That's all I'm saying and for some reason people find an angle to say that I'm crazy," Garcia said.
He is using his platform for awareness. Even selling t-shirts on his website for the cause.
Garcia's remarks on the subject have been met with resistance, but he continues to speak up.
For Ryan, April 20 represents a far bigger fight, a fight for the children.
"What did they tell LeBron? Just shut up and dribble? It's the exact same thing I'm going through. I decided to speak up, and they said shut up and box, basically," Garcia said. "I feel like that's a form of discrimination and that goes against my U.S. Constitutional rights."
"I have freedom of speech. I'm not here to invoke violence. I don't say anything to harm anybody."
Garcia is a father himself, with three kids.
"I'm happy I did this, because if anybody doesn't want to stand for children or innocent babies, that's a you issue, not a me issue" Garcia said.
On a Tuesday night in March, Ryan paid a visit to the Oak Cliff Boys and Girls Club. The place where his trainer, Derrick James, grew up and is heavily involved to this day.
Garcia brought snacks and signed autographs for the kids.
"I'm big on giving back. I've always given back, but in silence. Now I think it's important to starting showing it a little bit," he said.
Garcia doesn't pretend to be a finished product. Like all of us, he's constantly evolving.
But there's a certain level of scrutiny that comes with star status.
That's where Garcia continues to lean into his faith for guidance.
"If I'm not the man I'm supposed to be, that means God's not done yet," Garcia said at a press conference promoting the Haney fight in February.
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 16: Ryan Garcia walks away from Javier Fortuna after knocking him down in the third round at the Crypto.com Arena on July 16, 2022 in Los Angeles, United States. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
Garcia says he believes he is on the right path.
"I've changed in 3 weeks. I can't imagine in 5 years," he said.
Ryan Garcia prepares for fight against Devin Haney
Boxer Ryan Garcia is from California, but lives in Dallas to train. On Saturday, Garcia will face off against Devin Haney in Brooklyn. The build-up to the fight has brought plenty of buzz. Garcia talks with FOX 4's Sam Gannon about his feelings about Haney and his preparations for the big fight.
You can learn more about Garcia and his trainer Derrick James in part two of the exclusive interview on Free4All Tuesday at 10:30 p.m.