It’s a critical point in Ryan Garcia‘s boxing career at the moment. Coming off of a one-year suspension for using an illegal substance, Garcia needed to rebound in a big way to improve his record following the No Contest against Devin Haney while also repairing his image. Instead, he was his aura dwindle, as Rolly Romero came out with something to prove and humbled Garcia in Times Square.
When analyzing the fight, most fans and experts agree that Romero was flat-out better. Garcia didn’t have the proper energy, while getting knocked down affected his overall morale and body language. That was more than enough for Romero to walk away with the unanimous decision. But was there something else at play? A new development has given Garcia the perfect excuse for his performance.
Ryan Garcia fought Rolly Romero with damage to his right hand
Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix reported on Tuesday that Garcia was set to undergo surgery in Los Angeles that same day for a right hand injury he suffered during camp before the Romero fight.
The procedure will be performed by Dr. Steven Shin, a noted hand specialist who has operated on many boxers, including Canelo Álvarez and Vasyl Lomachenko. Garcia, 26, is expected to be able to resume training in six weeks. Garcia injured the hand during training camp for his May 2 loss to Rolando Romero. He required multiple cortisone shots in the lead-up to the fight, a source said.
While Garcia hasn’t used the injury as an excuse, fans still aren’y buying it. In fact, they took it even further by claiming Garcia may not have gotten injured if he was still using PEDs, given the ability of PEDs to avoid certain injuries.
The hand injury does explain some things, though. Romero still outboxed Garcia, but the 26-year-old wasn’t his usual self. He threw way fewer punches than we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from Garcia. If his hand was truly in pain, it makes sense that he wasn’t particularly active in terms of volume.
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