Ryan Garcia continues to make headlines for all the wrong reasons.
The troubled boxer was arrested by Beverly Hills police on Saturday, although the exact reasons are still unclear. Garcia was escorted out of the Beverly Hills Waldorf Astoria hotel, shown naked and handcuffed, although his face was covered by a police helmet.
Tabloid news site TMZ reported that Garcia (25-1, 20 knockouts) was arrested on suspicion of vandalism at a luxury property. Garcia is said to have caused property damage to his bedroom and the adjoining hallway. Any damage over $400 qualifies as a crime in the state of California.
Attorneys for the 25-year-old from Victorville, California, told The Ring that Garcia was taken to a nearby hospital for drug treatment. The information that his team had is that the boxer may be charged with public intoxication. Messages left with the BHPD communications department seeking confirmation of the vandalism charge were not returned as of publication.
The development came three days after local authorities were contacted to check on the boxer’s welfare at the same hotel. Police were contacted by an unnamed family member of Garcia, although no wrongdoing was found during the investigation.
Garcia’s arrest comes after claims he was not paid for his April 20 fight against Devin Haney (31-1, 15 KOs) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Both of these boxers took to social media to emphasize that they still owe money for this event.
Golden Boy Promotions, Garcia’s promoter and host of the DAZN Pay-Per-View event, issued a statement denying the claim. It was reported that both boxers were paid the full fight purse listed in the contracts submitted to the New York State Athletic Commission. Any outstanding funds will be released once the final funds are deposited, which can take up to 90 days after the fight.
Concerns about the rapid decline in Garcia’s mental health surfaced early in Haney’s fight press tour. Strange posts and statements are made every day, and often several times each day.
Garcia went on to win the majority decision, by virtue of three knockouts. The win was initially discounted due to his poor weight. A lack of technique on the scales cost him the WBC 140-pound title for Haney.
Whatever victory lap was enjoyed in the upset win was also marred by two drug tests. Samples collected on April 19 and April 20 yielded positive results for the banned substance Ostarine.
Garcia said it was a viral infection and he handed over containers containing two ingredients that he allegedly used during training. Test results from a WADA-accredited lab also returned Ostarine’s findings, which Garcia and his legal team presented as proof that he was a clean fighter.
Reports of both appendices were recorded for transmission purposes but the seals were otherwise breached. It would make sense as he is said to have used them during training. However, the standard procedure requires the movement of closed containers from the same lot number, to prove the contamination of the lot.
Garcia is still under investigation by the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) regarding the violation. You face suspension, fines and the win being changed to No-Contest or even losing the disqualification.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
