By Allan Fox: Ryan Garcia is back in the gym working out once again after being sidelined with a bout with mental health issues. The unbeaten WBC interim lightweight champion King Ryan (21-0, 18 KOs), looked sharp in an Instagram post with him hitting a bag in the gym.
It’s not unexpected that Ryan is back in the gym because he was likely motivated after seeing his gym mate Canelo Alvarez destroy Billy Joe Saunders last Saturday night in a headliner on DAZN. Canelo hurt Saunders with a beautiful uppercut, which is one of Ryan’s favorite punches.
It had to have been hard for Ryan to see Canelo’s fight and not want to be in there fighting too. The two are no longer with the same promotional company, Golden Boy, but they’re both trained by Eddy Reynoso out of the same gym.
Garcia, 22, isn’t saying when he’ll return to the ring to resume his career. He last fought on January 2nd, stopping Luke Campbell in the seventh round in a WBC 135-lb title eliminator.
Ryan was previously scheduled to face Javier Fortuna on July 9th in the main event on DAZN, but that fight is now off. The winner was supposed to challenge WBC lightweight champion, Devin Haney later this year.
It’s not a big deal for Ryan to be facing Fortuna (36-2-1, 25 KOs) because he doesn’t need to fight him to get a title shot against Haney. That match-up is there for Ryan anytime he wants it.
Ryan Garcia gives a message to his fans
“Thank you to everyone for showing their support! With the help of my support team and my family, I’m making steps forward.
“Why anxiety and depression hit me like a truck and why I’m still recovering, I’ll never know.
“But I’m trying to cope with the issues I’m having! This bag is my anxiety, and I’m swinging with my full intent to destroy it!! 😤🥊
When Ryan does return to the ring, it’s going to be interesting to see who he faces. It’s likely not too late for Golden Boy Promotions to reschedule the Fortuna fight if they wish, but there are obviously bigger ones out there.
The good news for Ryan is he hasn’t missed a lot of time due to his mental health issues. If he can get a fight scheduled quickly, he can still fight in the summer against one of the contenders.
A good fight for Ryan would be Richard Commey or Rolly Romero. Those are matches that would make a lot of noise and get the boxing world amped up.