Ryan Garcia faced severe backlash and was expelled from the WBC after making offensive statements during a Twitter Spaces livestream, leading to a series of contradictory apologies and an announcement that he would check into rehab.
Ryan Garcia continues to spiral.
2023 has been a tumultuous year for Garcia. He has seemingly courted controversy at every turn. This week, he aroused public ire during a Twitter Spaces livestream. He repeatedly used racial slurs and made homophobic, anti-semitic, and anti-muslim statements.
In response to his comments, the WBC quickly expelled Garcia from its organization. They stated that they “reject any form of discrimination.” On Friday, Garcia responded to the severe backlash with a seemingly contradictory apology.
“I grew up in a neighborhood where everyone said that word that now I’m abolishing from my vocabulary,” Garcia said in an Instagram post. “I’ve supported many black men and black communities.”
“I’m not mad at the outrage and I sincerely apologize if I hurt and offended anyone but my pain deserves to be felt,” he added.
“Black and brown have always united, and it will always be that way,” he continued. “I’m just a shade lighter [than] you, but I love you and I love black children to the point I’d [die] for a black child.”
“I was actually speaking against black on black crime,” he claimed. “[Again] I’m sorry.”
However, while his post is an apology, it does not address many of the other incendiary statements. These include making death threats towards communities as a whole.
The picture accompanying the post seems to contradict his apology by defending his comments. It blames those who were offended as being “too sensitive.”
“Let me get this straight,” Garcia’s statement reads. “I’ve actually supported black communities, have taken racism from Tim Bradley calling me a zoo animal on ESPN, and [turned] the other cheek but I’m racist [because] everyone was just drunk and saying shit people say all the time including black men.”
“If you get triggered by a word that means you are too sensitive,” he continued. “God knows my heart and how I would protect black children [until] the day I die.”
Garcia also continued to shirk responsibility for his actions in the comments of his post. He blamed his friends for pressuring him into using slurs before adding that he was going to check himself into rehab.
He previously spoke about issues with substance abuse. In another iteration of an apology posted later on Twitter, he again brought up these struggles.
“I take all responsibility for my words,” Garcia said in another statement on Twitter. “I’m misunderstood; I just got a lot of trauma.”
“It’s been a tough couple of months as everyone can tell but I AM SORRY,” he emphasized.
“I struggle with substance abuse and it hard for me with everything going on.”
Garcia’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya also commented on Instagram regarding his charge’s controversy. He condemned Garcia’s actions but offered full support to his fighter.
“There is no room for hate or intolerance at my company,” De La Hoya stated firmly.
“We hope Ryan will use the time away from the sport to work through these issues.”
Garcia is currently serving a one-year suspension following a failed drug test for his fight with Devin Haney back in April.