Ryan Garcia appears to have turned over a new leaf ahead of his comeback fight.
The 26-year-old dropped Denvin Haney three times en route to a massive upset win last April.
However, the biggest victory of his career was overturned to a no-contest due to two failed drug tests.
Ryan Garcia‘s one-year ban from the sport is set to end on April 20. Just 12 days later, he’ll face off against Rolly Romero on a card that will also feature Devin Haney vs Jose Carlos Ramirez and Teofimo Lopez’s fight with Arnold Barboza Jr.
Ryan Garcia hopes to make amends
Garcia kept a cool head when he returned to the limelight for a pre-fight press conference on Tuesday.
Surrounded by rivals, ‘KingRy’ insisted that he was a changed man, who is determined to win over fans.
“I want to be great,” Garcia said
“I’ve always wanted to fight the best fighters in the sport. As far as my problems outside the ring, I’ve always had those problems. I don’t know who else struggles with stuff like that, but that’s just something I was struggling with.
“I want to just show everybody that you can come back from anything. I want to show my dedication to the sport and be a true professional.
“I admit my wrongs and I don’t want anybody to take my actions of drinking and smoking before the fight and try to think that’s a way to handle yourself as a professional.
“So I came here to change that. This is my first fight to get respect back and to prove to everybody that it wasn’t a fluke, and I’m ready to do it.”
Ryan Garcia speaks out on Gervonta Davis controversy
Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis fought in 2023 when ‘Tank’ landed a lethal body shot to give his rival his first and only professional defeat.
On Saturday, Garcia watched on as Davis fought to a draw with Lamont Roach, who was furious after his opponent took a knee that was not scored a knockdown in round nine.
“Lamont won that,” Garcia tweeted post-fight. “Not calling that a knockdown is the most wild thing I ever seen in boxing, that type of stuff makes boxing look bad.”
Davis blamed a pre-fight hairstylist for putting too much grease in his hair in the leadup to the Roach fight. He claimed grease got into his eye during the fight, leading him to be unable to see briefly before taking the knee.
The New York State Athletic Commission blamed the incident on a ‘technical issue’ that prevented instant replay being available when it was needed most.