Ryan Garcia spoke openly about the struggle he faced with mental health, but his downward spiral nearly ended with disaster before and after his battle with Devin Haney.
The now 26-year-old fighter undoubtedly delivered the most spectacular performance of his career when he scored multiple knockdowns for Haney before winning a majority decision on the scorecard. Sadly, the victory was changed to a non-contest before Garcia tested positive for the banned substance Ostarin, and the results were eventually handed over a one-year suspension from the sport.
Even before it all happened, Garcia regularly abused alcohol, but the aftermath of that battle placed him on the path of self-destruction.
“I was going through divorce. There was a lot of things going on in my life and it was hard to deal with,” Garcia said. Ring Champion. “I f*cked on that point.
“I had problems before the fight, but that shit continued past the fight, and I was going to be arrested in Waldorf.
In June 2024, Garcia was arrested and charged with misdemeanor vandalism after initially destroying a hotel room at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Beverly Hills. The claim was ultimately dismissed after he agreed to pay approximately $15,000 in compensation for the damages inflicted on the hotel.
Garcia admits that it was one of his darkest days when he was already drowning in the sea of alcohol abuse, and that he plagued him before and after his fight with Haney.
“To be honest, I was in a completely different universe,” Garcia said. “I’m surprised I’m here now. I drank every day. I drink every day. Even a fight day, it’s a fight day. I was so involved in just trying to deal with what’s going on inside. Like I said, I’ve been struggling mentally for years.
“I decided to take a lot of shrooms, and I had already done it, but this time I took too much. I lost it. I really can’t say anything. I ended up breaking everything in the (hotel) room. I really didn’t remember.
The arrest was one of the catalysts that forced Garcia to realize that he needed help to make some major changes in his life.
“I was doing it all. Gambling, drinking, women, whatever I wanted to do,” Garcia said. “It just destroys my soul. It destroys my spirit. It really hit me.
“The turning point was damn, I’m making my life a lot more exciting. Being arrested was a big part of that. Losing almost my child was a big part of that.”
Garcia says his parents desperately tried to get him to help with his growth list in question, but he largely ignored their pleas.
“They wanted me to get help,” Garcia revealed. “They were trying to get help for me as much as they could, but when you are in that state, you didn’t hear.
“When you have everything you have at your disposal, it’s not for everyone. I have an addictive personality, so I went.
Thankfully, Garcia was able to turn things around in the end after hitting the bottom of the rock, but he knows it’s a daily struggle to stay straight and narrow.
He admits that he may have surrounded himself with some of the wrong people, but Garcia doesn’t want anyone else to push his mistake away.
In fact, Garcia asserts that all of his responsibilities have returned to his shoulders and that he continues to own his actions outside the ring.
“I personally don’t like to have no one responsible, it’s just me,” Garcia said. “I’m responsible. The responsibility is definitely on me.”