WBC Strips Ryan Garcia while on Mental Health Leave

[Ruthless-RKO]

WBC strips Garcia while on mental health leave

The WBC has stripped Ryan Garcia of his interim lightweight title while he is taking leave from the sport due to mental health issues. The WBC gave the recovering Garcia the boot so that it could sanction Javier Fortuna (36-2-1, 25 KOs) against Joseph “Jo Jo” Diaz for a new interim champion (and collect the resulting sanctioning fee). In doing so, the WBC is penalizing a Garcia, young man for breaking with tradition to advocate for his own well being in a sport that traditonally discounts mental health. The move is also wrong-headed for two other reasons: first, Diaz is coming off a draw, and if anyone is to fight Fortuna for the interim title, it should be Richard Commey, the next leading available contender. Second, the regular champion Devin Haney fights this week, and the franchise champion, Teofimo Lopez fights in June, so there is no need for an interim title at all.

Here is how the WBC explained striping Garcia:

"Recently, WBC interim lightweight champion Ryan Garcia notified the WBC that he was taking a leave from boxing to address ongoing health issues. The WBC fully and unconditionally supports Garcia. The WBC will stay close to him during his process, and the WBC Board of Governors will assess his situation once he is ready to return to the ring. [BUT] The WBC has received a request to sanction the bout between the #2-rated lightweight Javier “El Abejon” Fortuna (36-2-1, 25 KOs) against the #5-rated super featherweight contender Joseph “Jo Jo” Diaz (31-1-1, 15 KOs) for the WBC interim lightweight championship. The Fortuna v. Diaz bout is scheduled to take place on July 9th in Los Angeles, California.

"A recount of the backdrop that led to Javier Fortuna’s request puts that request into the proper context. In December of 2019, Fortuna reached the #1 position in the WBC lightweight ratings. The then WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney became unable to defend his title due to a shoulder injury, which prompted the WBC to name him WBC champion-in-recess, thus rendering vacant the WBC lightweight championship. [Editor's note: Boxingtalk considers Haney a secondary champion because undisputed world chamion Teofimo Lopez defeated Vasiliy Lomachenko but was converted by the WBC to "franchise champion]. The WBC then ordered a bout between Fortuna and then-#2 Luke Campbell for the vacant WBC lightweight championship. That bout was contracted and scheduled to take place in April of 2020.

"Due the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fortuna vs. Campbell bout did not take place, which gave champion-in-recess Devin Haney sufficient time to recover from his injury. Haney petitioned to the WBC to be reinstated as champion in light of his recovery. The WBC granted that petition as well as a voluntary defense of his title. The WBC also agreed to sanction the Fortuna vs. Campbell bout for the WBC interim championship, due to the fact they had entered into a contract to fight for the WBC championship. Subsequently, Campbell’s promoter, Matchroom, requested that the WBC sanction Haney’s voluntary defense to be against #2 Luke Campbell. That bout never took place. Fortuna was then scheduled to face former multi-time world champion and #3-rated Jorge Linares. That bout was supposed to take place in August of 2020. Linares who contracted Covid-19 a few weeks before his bout against Fortuna, which resulted in that bout being cancelled.

"In November of 2020, Fortuna stopped Antonio Lozada in six rounds. Fortuna was then scheduled to fight the then WBC interim champion Ryan Garcia. That bout would have taken place in July of 2021, but was cancelled due to Garcia’s ongoing medical issues. In light of the fact that Javier Fortuna has not been able to compete for a WBC Championship due to reasons outside his control, and based on the merits of his request, the WBC has decided to grant it. Accordingly, the WBC will sanction the Javier Fortuna v. Jo Jo Diaz bout for the WBC interim lightweight championship. The winner will fight the winner of Haney vs Linares."

[Ruthless-RKO]

Sad. It's only an interim belt, but hey WBC need to collect their sanctioning fees.

[Enlightened-One]

It's kind of funny (and not in a "Ha ha haa..." way).

According to the WBC’s own rules, “All WBC champions shall make at least one (1) mandatory defense per year…”, but they allowed Deontay Wilder to only perform two mandatory defences during his 61 months title reign.

At least Ryan Garcia has a legitimate reason for being inactive, but the WBC either "forgets" or chooses to ignore their own rules when it comes to other fighters.

[Boxing Prospect]

So we don't have a "WBC Lightweight interim champion in recess"?

[gilgamesh]

Sad. It's only an interim belt, but hey WBC need to collect their sanctioning fees.

I kinda wish a Funeral home would collect fees from the Sulaiman Family after someone shot Mauricio in the face. F*ck the WBC.

[milpool]

If interim champion Ryan Garcia is going to be out for a while, why can't the WBC have a fight to find an interim interim champion?

[H8Usernames]

Dear lord. Who cares about Ryan Garcia and who on earth cares about some iterim title? A fraud fighter and a fraud belt and you guys are wasting words on some nonsense?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Dear lord. Who cares about Ryan Garcia and who on earth cares about some iterim title? A fraud fighter and a fraud belt and you guys are wasting words on some nonsense?

it's news about boxing.. This is a boxing forum...

You want us to talk about balet?

[H8Usernames]

Dear lord. Who cares about Ryan Garcia and who on earth cares about some iterim title? A fraud fighter and a fraud belt and you guys are wasting words on some nonsense?

it's news about boxing.. This is a boxing forum...

You want us to talk about balet?

Are you sure that this is boxing? Ryan Garcia is a fellow that doesn't want to fight real contenders, doesn't want to fight the champion and is pimping himself out on social media. That sounds more like a male model to me that's trying to enhance his modeling or social media career by also doing some boxing. Ontop of this the fellow doesn't want to fight anyone these days due to alleged mental problems. This sounds more like reality television or some nonsense than it does like boxing.

Then we have the WBC who have what 20 belts floating around at that weight class. The reason that these belts are changing hands and the reason for their existence is money not boxing. This sounds more like finance to me. So no none of this is about boxing.

[golden_labrador]

Dear lord. Who cares about Ryan Garcia and who on earth cares about some iterim title? A fraud fighter and a fraud belt and you guys are wasting words on some nonsense?

it's news about boxing.. This is a boxing forum...

You want us to talk about balet?

Are you sure that this is boxing? Ryan Garcia is a fellow that doesn't want to fight real contenders, doesn't want to fight the champion and is pimping himself out on social media. That sounds more like a male model to me that's trying to enhance his modeling or social media career by also doing some boxing. Ontop of this the fellow doesn't want to fight anyone these days due to alleged mental problems. This sounds more like reality television or some nonsense than it does like boxing.

Then we have the WBC who have what 20 belts floating around at that weight class. The reason that these belts are changing hands and the reason for their existence is money not boxing. This sounds more like finance to me. So no none of this is about boxing.

because there are no mental problems in boxing

[gilgamesh]

Dear lord. Who cares about Ryan Garcia and who on earth cares about some iterim title? A fraud fighter and a fraud belt and you guys are wasting words on some nonsense?

it's news about boxing.. This is a boxing forum...

You want us to talk about balet?

It's really not news about Boxing. Interim Titles aren't even worth acknowledging.

[Enlightened-One]

Dear lord. Who cares about Ryan Garcia and who on earth cares about some iterim title? A fraud fighter and a fraud belt and you guys are wasting words on some nonsense?

it's news about boxing.. This is a boxing forum...

You want us to talk about balet?

It's really not news about Boxing. Interim Titles aren't even worth acknowledging.

I agree the junior titles are meaningless trinkets. However, the "outrage" for me (and perhaps that's not the most appropriate word to describe my sentiments, since I'm only mildly inconvenienced), is the inconsistent application of the WBC's own rules.

For me, I'm less concerned about Ryan Garcia (although I wish him a speedy recovery), it's more about the WBC's (often) disgraceful conduct, whereby two different fighters will be treated entirely differently, for no other reason other than politics or financial gain.

[gilgamesh]

it's news about boxing.. This is a boxing forum...

You want us to talk about balet?

It's really not news about Boxing. Interim Titles aren't even worth acknowledging.

I agree the junior titles are meaningless trinkets. However, the "outrage" for me (and perhaps that's not the most appropriate word to describe my sentiments, since I'm only mildly inconvenienced), is the inconsistent application of the WBC's own rules.

For me, I'm less concerned about Ryan Garcia (although I wish him a speedy recovery), it's more about the WBC's (often) disgraceful conduct, whereby two different fighters will be treated entirely differently, for no other reason other than politics or financial gain.

The WBC isn't even worth acknowledging at all. They're a proven joke. No need to run them down, build them up, anything. Just toss 'em in the trash the way Riddick Bowe once did.

The same goes for all the rest of the belts. They're all worthless.

[caldo2025]

Dear lord. Who cares about Ryan Garcia and who on earth cares about some iterim title? A fraud fighter and a fraud belt and you guys are wasting words on some nonsense?

it's news about boxing.. This is a boxing forum...

You want us to talk about balet?

Are you sure that this is boxing? Ryan Garcia is a fellow that doesn't want to fight real contenders, doesn't want to fight the champion and is pimping himself out on social media. That sounds more like a male model to me that's trying to enhance his modeling or social media career by also doing some boxing. Ontop of this the fellow doesn't want to fight anyone these days due to alleged mental problems. This sounds more like reality television or some nonsense than it does like boxing.

Then we have the WBC who have what 20 belts floating around at that weight class. The reason that these belts are changing hands and the reason for their existence is money not boxing. This sounds more like finance to me. So no none of this is about boxing.

F’ng well said. Who is this Poster? I like his style. This joint needed new blood like this cat. Let em’ have it my friend. Can’t argue with one thing.

Honestly, I’m compassionate to anyone REALLY suffering from a mental condition but Boxing needs to take a stance like this even in the joke world of these fake belts so that this “mental” situation doesn’t serve to be a go to excuse from the most dishonest sport ever created. No one can be trusted in Boxing! If everyone that finally got caught flush and hit the canvas for the first time pointed to mental issues as a result to avoid his due in keeping a strap by defending it, damn...this sport could even get worse. If you could even imagine that horror.

[Foggy]

Boxing has dropped to a new low just as mental health issues are being widely accepted and support is better than ever boxing does this, hang your heads in shame WBC

[Boxerbeetle]

Can’t defend your belt, should be stripped of it. Simple as that.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Can’t defend your belt, should be stripped of it. Simple as that.

It’s only an interim and he only won it in Jan. plus the defence was a voluntary, not a mandatory.

[DrDuke]

This mental health sh!t became some a sorta trend after Fury. Well, Fury had some troublesome times indeed and he overcame it with commendable efforts, but all the others, who claim this mental stuff, are probably just sissies. Garcia is a sissy for sure, f*cking king of instagram. Hopefully he gets pulverized, if he dares to return.

[ironbeard]

This mental health sh!t became some a sorta trend after Fury. Well, Fury had some troublesome times indeed and he overcame it with commendable efforts, but all the others, who claim this mental stuff, are probably just sissies. Garcia is a sissy for sure, f*cking king of instagram. Hopefully he gets pulverized, if he dares to return.

I think that his problem is that he enjoys being pulverized by chiquitas.

[chucktaylor]

As stated in the article, there's no need for the interim title anyway. The real question is what is the point of an interim champion when there is an active champ (who just defended tonight)?! I would love to see Sulaiman explain that, and then explain what the point of the Silver title is.
As for Garcia, I wonder what is wrong with his head. He always seemed very upbeat, almost smug, but maybe he was compensating for something. Or, perhaps there has been some tragedy in his life we are not aware of.

[margaret thatcher]

these smug guys are often the most sensitive and take criticism the worse

wouldnt surprise me at all if he's the type who combs through all his instagram comments and gets hurt wwhenever someone isnt so nice to him

could be much deeper than that, but tons of people who are predisposed to these things get mentally f@cked by social media

[chucktaylor]

If Instagram comments got to him, I don't know what to say other than get over it. It is an easy problem to avoid if he can't help but take things personal- don't log on. He should be secure in knowing he is skilled and accomplished. He does not exactly make himself a likeable person with his air of arrogance, but still, the people doing the trolling are the real lowlife losers.
Also, if you are right about this, then Garcia has a totally contradictory and self-defeating pattern of behavior. He really cares about people liking him, but he acts like a douche all the time. Pick one!

[ironbeard]

I think that Haney’s performance last night may have done wonders for Garcia’s head issues; at least the issues not being taken care of by his Chiquita’s.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Ryan Garcia returning to boxing “soon” after break to manage mental health

The young lightweight star is eyeing a return to the ring.



Ryan Garcia is beginning to plan his boxing return after taking some time to deal with mental health issues.

“I’m coming back soon,” Garcia said on Instagram. “Pain made me stronger. I pray my enemies don’t go through what I’ve gone through.”

The lightweight contender didn’t give any more specific information than that, but if he’s ready to train again, a fight in August or September would seem doable, depending on what type of opponent they go after.

The 22-year-old “Kingry” last fought on Jan. 2, scoring a career-best win over Luke Campbell. Garcia was down and rocked in the second round of that fight, but came back to drop Campbell and finish things in the seventh.

At the moment the fight was over, it was expected Garcia would fight WBC titlist Devin Haney — Garcia’s win gave him the interim title — but he opted to pass on that order. He had a “verbal agreement” from a podcast to fight Gervonta Davis, but obviously that went nowhere, as did negotiations to do something, either a fight or an exhibition, with Manny Pacquiao.

More recently, Garcia was set to fight Javier Fortuna on July 9, but pulled out of that to deal with the mental health issues. Fortuna is now set to fight Joseph Diaz Jr in what will functionally serve as a WBC eliminator, and Garcia

[Ruthless-RKO]

He stayed quiet until Fortuna found a new opponent.. Now he's back.