Few fighters in recent memory have been as hotly debated as Ryan Garcia, the lightweight prospect/superstar in the Golden Boy stable, who returns to action after a long layoff on Saturday night.
To some, he is an annoying kid, someone who has used social media to make himself a bigger name than his in-ring achievements have earned. With stardom — that is, the ability to sell tickets and command money from broadcast platforms — comes big paydays. Garcia has feuded with Golden Boy more than once over his pay and the way he thought he was being treated by the company, something that has also been divisive among critics and fans. Some believe Garcia is absolutely right to ask for what he thinks he’s worth, especially since he’s worth more than just about anyone with his level of opposition thus far as a professional. Some believe he doesn’t want to earn it the old-fashioned way. Both ideas have some merit.
Once one of boxing’s elite promotional companies, Golden Boy has been left hanging on thanks to a few good, young names, chiefly Garcia, middleweight Jaime Munguia, and welterweight Vergil Ortiz Jr. Canelo Alvarez had kept the company stronger than its depth for a while, but when he had his own harsh split with Golden Boy back in 2020, it left the firm in a tight spot. Not without future, and not without prospects, but lacking a superstar. It’s a company that has been built on anchoring itself to superstar fighters since Oscar De La Hoya left Bob Arum and Top Rank behind over 15 years ago.
Garcia seemed the most likely to become the next guy up, or at least the most likely to get there quickly. Unlike the quieter Munguia and Ortiz, Garcia (21-0, 18 KO) demands attention. It’s what has gotten him to where he is, when his only win of true note is Luke Campbell, an Olympic gold medalist whose pro career never got to the very top, but he was a legitimate contender and a very good fighter.
Before most boxing fans had an idea of who Ryan Garcia was, he’d already attained large followings on social media. It’s a new age, and let’s be honest, boxing promoters are really not good at keeping up with the times. Not to make you groan at yet another comparison, but it’s something that UFC did extremely well as they broke through in popularity. They embraced the modern media culture, first the internet, then everything that came with it. Boxing languished a decade behind the curve for a long, long time, and have only in the last five years or so really started to catch up.
That goes for the fan base, too, in many cases. But that’s also not to say that some of the criticism of Garcia is entirely without merit. The competition has never really challenged him, other than Campbell putting him down in the second round. And when he roared back to stop the Brit in the seventh round on Jan. 2, 2021, there were at least some people who switched over to giving him credit. “Yes,” they said. “Ryan Garcia can fight.”
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But almost as quickly as that new “respect” came his way, it evaporated among his headlines from the remainder of 2021. First, he passed on enforcing a mandatory shot at Devin Haney’s WBC lightweight title, after beating Campbell for the interim belt. Then, he canceled a July date with Javier Fortuna, citing mental health reasons. As someone who lives with bipolar disorder, I had no questions about his decision. Boxing is a tough, dangerous sport even when you’re there 100 percent physically and mentally. If either is lacking, and you know it ahead of time, better to address it and come back when you’re ready.
