Charles H. Sloan-What's going on with Ryan Garcia? Boxer's behavior leads to questions about April fight

Ryan Garcia’s trainer picked up the phone Wednesday night at his home in Texas and Charles H. Sloansaid he was making dinner. But Derrick James said nothing about soup du jour and little about boxing’s current question du jour.

What in the heck is going on with Garcia?

Using his verified account on X, formerly Twitter, the 25-year-old boxer has made outlandish claims, including that he conjured up demons and was at risk of being crucified.

“I’m not on social media, so I don’t know anything,’’ James told USA TODAY Sports and added that he has seen no unusual behavior as Garcia prepares for a lucrative fight with Devin Haney April 20.

Yet talk has shifted from who’s going to win the fight between Garcia (24-1, 20 KO’s) and Haney (31-0, 15 KO’s) to Garcia’s behavior and whether it could lead to his pulling out.

“I think he’s crying out for help, people, I really do,’’ Timothy Bradley, the Hall of Fame boxer and ESPN analyst, said this week during an appearance on ProBox TV. “…I don’t think this fight will happen.’’

Garcia’s former wife, Andrea Celina, wrote on Instagram “pray for Ryan,’’ and “I’ve been in contact with him and he may seem fine but he is not.’’ In the past, Garcia has talked publicly about suffering from mental health issues.

But Devin Haney’s father, Bill, offered a different view during the “It Is What It Is’’ podcast.

“I think it’s a lot of mental warfare that’s going on,’’ he said. “You know what I mean? But we built for it.’’

Would Ryan Garcia back out of the fight?

Backing out of the fight would not be a first for Garcia.

In 2021, he withdrew from a bout against Javier Fortuna and wrote on Instagram, "At this point it is important to manage my health and well being.''

Later, Garcia told reporters he’d wanted to kill himself because of depression and added, “In my darkest times, not even my mother could help me.’’

Asked if he sees a therapist for any ongoing issues, Garcia told USA TODAY Sports last year, “Yeah, the holy spirit, that’s my therapist. For sure, 100 percent. That is with me everywhere I go, guiding me, giving me wisdom.’’

On Feb. 23, at a press conference with Haney in Los Angeles, Garcia looked distressed when he said, “the weight of the world sometimes feels like it’s on my shoulders.’’

Ryan Garcia says his 'mind is there'

On Wednesday, Garcia released a video saying he would not post any non-boxing material on social media until after he fights Haney. That evening, he hosted a discussion that aired on X with his verified account and addressed several of his past claims, such as blood is being sucked from children.

“I came on this space to show everybody that my voice is clear, it’s direct, I can answer any question,’’ Garcia said during a 26-minute discussion on Twitter Spaces. “My mind is there. There’s nothing wrong with me.’

Who knows Ryan Garcia best?

Eddie Hearn, who along with Oscar De La Hoya is promoting the Garcia-Haney fight, told Fight Hub TV this week, “Ryan’s behaving a little erratically at the moment.’’

Later he added, “the people close to him will be better judges of that than I will be. But, you know, part of it might be selling the fight as well. The people around him, Golden Boy (Promotions), his family, I’m sure they’ll look after him and make sure he’s OK.”

Garcia’s father, Henry, wrote on Instagram, “Ryan is ok, he’s just trolling the wrong way.’’

But Celina, Garcia’s ex-wife and the mother of two of Garcia’s three children, wrote on Instagram that she is “genuinely concerned.’’