Ryan Garcia Faces Backlash and Controversy After Brother's Defeat

Sean Garcia Fell to Amado Vargas in a sixth-round stoppage

Ryan Garcia 'skipped rehab' to accompanying his brother to his fight /

By Moses Ochieng

Ryan Garcia was seen publicly accompanying his brother, lightweight Sean Garcia, to the ring for his unsuccessful bout, which ended with a sixth-round stoppage by Amado Vargas at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, on Saturday.

Ryan Garcia has been at the centre of controversy following a recent incident of offensive remarks on social media, prompting condemnation from his promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, and the WBC. Garcia had previously announced plans to enter rehab, but last night he expressed on X, "Skipped rehab for this shit."

In the bout, a more physically prepared Vargas (11-0, 5 KOs), aged 23, displayed superior work rate and systematically wore down Sean (7-1-1, 2 KOs), also 23.

Ryan tweeted afterward, “Sean just kept getting hit with the uppercut and never countered fair play Amado congrats, Although I knock out you and all your brothers pretty easy, but congrats you guys won.”

Ryan Garcia did not appear after the fight ended, sparking speculation on social media that he had been escorted out. Garcia responded to these rumours, stating: “I wasn’t escorted I left. Not one hater in real life, And everyone was cool, Bc Like I said everyone knows my heart.”

After the fight, Sean Garcia said to the press, about his loss to Vargas, "It was a good fight like I expected. I don't think that I gassed out, but he did break me down. It was my first time going past four rounds and that's why you need these experiences in the sport. He was the better man tonight. I was just trying to get him out of there. At the end my game plan basically went away, I was just trying to cause damage."

By Sunday, Ryan Garcia appeared to have shifted his focus away from the idea of rehab, as he announced on Instagram his intention to take on the role of training his brother moving forward.

“So I skipped to watch my brother get stopped that’s okay. I’ve committed to being @lilrushgee head trainer. We demand the rematch I’ll put up 250000 winner takes all.”