Golden Boy boxer and super lightweight star Ryan Garcia is amid a ‘spiraling freefall’ due to his overexposure to social media.
That’s according to WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman, who addressed the situation in one of his recent columns.
Sulaiman, who has always been cautious about platforms like Twitter and Instagram, says Garcia has reached a critical point in his life following recent outbursts. Garcia has been unable to wean himself away from Twitter despite several meltdowns over recent weeks, and fan reaction has worsened as his views become more controversial.
One of his latest interactions on race and religion caused some to retaliate and led to Garcia’s ejection from a ringside position for his brother Sean’s fight. Sulaiman believes as fast as social media helped Garcia become a star, it’s seemingly now tearing him down.
“Just as it can transport you to the top, it can also destroy you: It is social media: Twitter (X), Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and many others,” said Sulaiman. “What is published there stays for eternity, as there is no turning back. The comments and responses have no filter and are often cloaked in anonymity in a cowardly back-stabbing way. The comments become highly offensive, biased, obnoxious, wound, and savage. There is harassment and a systematic, unrelenting bullying attack.
“If a boxer does not know how to interact on networks, they should stay well away from them. The attacks are growing. Those targeted do everything to combat them and to prove things that do not need verification or justification because they are false, and campaigns are only carried out to pierce and harm mental health.
“Unfortunately, we live in a world where the number of followers measures the value and likes one has on social networks.”
On Garcia’s ongoing problems, Sulaiman added, “Ryan García became popular by having millions of followers on social media. Social media has also led him to a critical point and plight.
“It is known that Ryan has struggled with mental health issues for many years. These problems have even led him to leave boxing on a couple of occasions. Today, he is spiraling into freefall, and he needs to accept the help that people who love him can offer.
“Julio César Chávez, the great Mexican champion, seeks to support him because he lived through, suffered, and endured hell for many years, overcoming this. It proves that a person can be cured. We all suffer from mental health problems. It is a silent, stealthy disease that has many variants: anxiety, depression, lowered self-esteem, paranoia, and many other modalities, ranging from very simple and manageable to levels bordering on suicide.”
Garcia seemingly didn’t heed Chavez’s warning, as days later, he continued his relentless activities. He does look to be slowing down a little, though, which it’s hoped could turn into a longer break.
Without boxing due to being suspended for one year over drug testing failures, Garcia has found it difficult to cope without the sport he loves.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
