By Matt Lieberman: WBC interim lightweight champion Ryan Garcia announced today on Instagram that he’s pulling out of his July 9th fight against Javier Fortuna because he wants to focus on his health and come back a “stronger version” of himself.
The Golden Boy promoted Ryan Garcia said he wanted to return to the ring when e’s his “healthiest self,” and knows how long that’ll be.
Ryan didn’t say what precisely is his problem that has led to him pulling out of the fight, but he did mention “doctor.” Whether it’s a “doctor” of the mind or of the body is the question.
On social media, fans are saying that they think Ryan’s problems are mental in nature, but they’re speculating and they don’t know.
Until Ryan makes a statement on what the issue is for him pulling out of the fight with Fortuna, fans will be left with a question mark.
Needless to say, the 22-year-old Garcia’s announcement has taken the boxing public by surprise because they assumed that he was going to stick with the Fortuna fight and not back out as he did against Gervonta Davis.
Ryan’s decision to veer away from a second important fight is going to make fans think he’s ducking the talented opposition at 135.
If Ryan is dealing with mental health problems, it’s difficult to know how long he’ll be out of the ring. This could take a while.
You can argue that it would be better if Ryan has a physical problem because that’s something that would be a short-duration issue, especially at his young age.
Ryan has been pushing himself hard since turning pro, looking to become a superstar to make millions before retiring at 26.
Garcia’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya has predicted that he’ll make $700 million by the tie he retires from boxing, which is a lot live up to.
With the huge expectations and pressure on Ryan’s shoulders, you can’t blame him for wanting to take some time off to get his health back together before ramping up again.
There’s no word yet on who Fortuna (36-2-1, 25 KOs) will face in a WBC lightweight title eliminator. The options for Fortuna could be one of these fighters:
1. Vasyl Lomachenko
4. Richard Commey
5. Franciso Vargas
If none of those fighters are available to fight Fortuna, Luke Campbell would be an ideal option for him to fight. Campbell is coming off a loss to Ryan last January, and he’s well known to many boxing fans.
The former WBA super featherweight champion Fortuna will obviously be disappointed about the news of Ryan Garcia pulling out of this fight because this was a match that would have helped his career.
Beating Ryan would have been a massive win for Fortuna, and it would put him in position for other important fights besides a title shot against WBC champion Devin Haney.
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