Ryan García pulls out of July 9 fight with Javier Fortuna
Ryan García announced on Saturday that he's withdrawing from his planned July 9 lightweight fight against Javier Fortuna. García made the announcement on Instagram, saying that he's choosing to focus on his health and well-being.
"I know this news may be disappointing to some of my fans but I am announcing today that I am withdrawing from my July 9th fight. At this time it is important to manage my health and wellbeing. I have decided to take some time off to focus on becoming a stronger version of myself. I hope to be back soon and am looking forward to stepping back into the ring when I am my healthiest self. I want to Thank God, my family, my doctors and my supporters."
García has been open about his mental health in the past. He admitted in a March Instagram post that he struggles with anxiety every day.
García vs. Fortuna announced less than two weeks ago
García (21-0, 18 KO) is currently the WBC interim lightweight titleholder. He won that by beating Luke Campbell in their Jan. 2 fight, and it was thought that he would then face Devin Haney, the WBC lightweight titleholder. Haney even expressed an interest in fighting him.
Instead, García pursued fights with anyone but Haney, trying to fight both Manny Pacquiao and Gervonta Davis. Neither of those fights came to be, and Haney recently accused García of intentionally ducking a fight with him.
“Me and my team knew that Ryan Garcia was all cap. We knew that he didn’t want to fight me. He didn’t want to fight Tank. He didn’t want to fight Manny Pacquiao,” he told "The DAZN Boxing Show" via Bad Left Hook. "It was all promotion. And only time will tell what’s going on, and as everyone can see, he’s ducking me. Why fight for another mandatory when you could be fighting for a world title?”
Haney was talking about the fight between García and Fortuna, which was officially announced on April 13 after the WBC ordered them to fight two weeks earlier. The winner of that fight would become the mandatory challenger to Haney for the lightweight title. But now, just 11 days after it was officially announced, the fight is off.
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