Ryan Garciaisn’t making excuses-he’s rewriting the script (and not very well).
Months after his disappointing loss to Rolando “Rolly” Romero, Garcia is opening up about what really went down that night. According to the 25-year-old fighter, he didn’t train. At all.
“That wasn’t me in the ring,” Garcia said on social media this week. “I didn’t care, I didn’t promote it, I didn’t even show up mentally. That was an imposter.”
Garcia’s comments come as negotiations heat up for a rematch with Romero this December, this time with the WBA welterweight title on the line. And if you believe his version of events, the first fight wasn’t the real story-it was the trailer.
“I Didn’t Throw No Punches” – Ryan’s Words, Not Ours
The May loss raised questions about Garcia’s hunger and focus. After a career-high win over Devin Haney, Garcia went radio silent, spending time off in Los Angeles while nursing the momentum of his upset victory. That year away, Garcia admits, led to bad decisions-like picking a power puncher like Romero as a “tune-up.”
“I was off balance, I got dropped, but it was wack,” Garcia said. “Nobody even watched it. The arena was dead.”
But people did watch. They saw Romero knock Garcia down in the second round and coast the rest of the fight, as Garcia barely let his hands go. It didn’t look like a lack of training-it looked like a lack of courage, as some critics have suggested.
Boxing analyst Teddy Atlas said on The Fight podcast, “He looked like someone who didn’t want to be there. You can lose, but you can’t quit. That’s what fans don’t forgive.”
And forgive, they haven’t. Much of Garcia’s post-Haney glow has worn off. His popularity took a hit, and fans have questioned whether he’s more influencer than fighter-a criticism that even ESPN’s Mark Kriegel echoed when he said Garcia’s“career feels more like a storyline than a boxing legacy.”
Now, with a potential rematch looming, Garcia insists he’s locked in.“I’m gonna smack him. This time I’m showing up. This time, y’all are getting the real me.” But if he loses again? There may not be another chapter to write.
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