Ryan Garcia has insisted his fight against Devin Haney is going ahead on April 20, despite recent concerns for the boxer after a social media post claiming he was dead appeared on his X account over the weekend.
Concerns over the 25-year-old’s wellbeing were sparked after a disturbing video on Garcia’s social media claimed his throat had been slit.
The super-lightweight contender broke his silence on Monday afternoon to address the speculation regarding his safety.
Three hours after sharing a video message to his fans on X, formerly known as Twitter, Garcia shared another post confirming his grudge match with American Haney will still take place, despite the troubling events of the past 24 hours.
‘Believe it or not the fight is still on see you in Brooklyn! 4-20 Barclays tickets on sale,’ Garcia wrote alongside a stream of boxing glove emojis.
Ryan Garcia has delivered a video message to fans after concerns were raised over his safety
After breaking his silence, he claimed his fight against Devin Haney was still going ahead
A six-second clip was posted to his X and Instagram accounts with alarming captions Sunday
The caption on his Instagram post mentioned the ‘death of Ryan Garcia’
Garcia is due to face fellow American Devin Haney in a grudge match for Haney’s WBC super-lightweight belt on April 20.
But there are fears that he is not in the right frame of mind to step into the ring.
His ex-wife, Andrea Celina, believes Garcia ‘may seem fine but he is not’, and has claimed he is being ‘heavily oppressed’.
Garcia and Celina, who have two children together, announced their divorce in January.
British promoter Eddie Hearn has also admitted he is worried about Garcia’s ‘erratic’ behaviour after his controversial antics at a press conference for his fight with Haney last week.
Earlier on Monday, in his video message Garcia said: ‘Hey guys, it’s Ryan. I’m coming on here to explain what’s going on.
Garcia is due to fight Devin Haney (left) in a grudge match next month
Garcia’s ex-wife, Andrea Celina (pictured), is concerned by his behaviour
‘I’m not in possession of my phone, I can’t get access to my Instagram. My cards are locked. I’m being really taken advantage [of].
‘I would personally want to just send out a video to the people that love me and my fans, family that’s concerned that I’m okay. I’m not dead, I believe in Jesus, all those [rumours] are lies.’
Garcia also added that an unidentified person was trying to put him in jail, and that he had not received any help from those he had reached out to.
His message continued: ‘I don’t know what’s going on but just know I’m okay.’
Garcia rode a horse to the event and was carried by security into the arena in Los Angeles, with the press conference turning ugly after Haney accused Garcia’s father of making a racist jibe towards him.
Garcia has insisted he is OK, but has said he has lost access to some prized possessions
Garcia rode a horse to the press conference for their upcoming fight last week
Garcia was beaten by Gervonta Davis (right) last year but is looking to bounce back against Haney
Despite his current personal issues, Garcia’s clash with Haney is still set to go ahead.
He will be aiming to become a world champion for the first time after falling short against Gervonta Davis last April.
Garcia was stopped by a body shot in the seventh round as he suffered the first defeat of his professional career.
He returned with a stoppage win against Oscar Duarte in December to take his record to 24-1 with 20 knockouts.