Ryan Garcia is still coming to terms with a devastating loss in the boxing ring, but he says he has faced challenges just as big outside the ropes.
The brilliant 26-year-old California has become a major star in recent years, with his huge personality and knockout punching power making for PPV entertainment.
Garcia though has been through a tortuous last 14 months, first having his win over Devin Haney reduced to a No Contest after failing a drugs test, and then recently dropping a decision loss to Rolly Romero in that iconic show in New York City’s Times Square.
Ryan’s mental wellbeing has been the subject of much conversation during that period – particularly in the build-up to that bout against Haney at Barclays Center in Brooklyn last April.
This week Garcia admitted he has battled ‘heavy depression’ and ‘mental demons’ to get where he is today, and he then added a very important message for other men in the same position. It is okay to speak about it, and suffering in silence is costing lives.
Garcia on mental health
Writing on X/Twitter, ‘King Ry’ told his 1.1m followers: “I know a lot of men out there struggle to speak up. It’s hard. Facing what you’re going through mentally isn’t easy.
“We’re taught to just push through, to grind, to bury the pain and keep moving like nothing’s wrong. I’ve done that. I’ve been there. But no matter how far you get in life, no matter how much success you find, that pain doesn’t just disappear. It stays. And it leaks out – in how you treat others, how you treat yourself, how you see the world.
“I’ve battled heavy depression. I’ve faced mental demons most people wouldn’t even understand. And I just want to say to any man feeling alone in this – I see you. I feel that emptiness. I know what it’s like to speak up and feel like nobody really hears you, like your pain isn’t real to them. But you’re still a beast. You wake up, carry that weight, and keep going. That takes insane strength. That’s real courage. And whether anyone tells you or not – it’s noticed. You are seen.”
Ryan re-iterated that the topic of mental health awareness has to be front and centre at all times, not hidden away in the back of minds.
“We have to keep talking about this. Men are dying in silence. Suicide, addiction – it’s killing us. And the more we pretend we’re fine, the worse it gets. Silence is killing great men. Speak up. Keep fighting. You’re not weak for feeling pain – you’re strong for surviving it. God bless. #MentalHealthAwareness”
