Stephen A. Smith Demands “Dissociation” With Ryan Garcia After He “Tarnished His Career” With Racial Slurs

Sports TV personality Stephen A. Smith wants Ryan Garcia to be ousted from the sport of boxing because he used racial slurs against Black people and disparaging comments he made against Muslims on a social media livestream of late. The Victorville native is currently serving his one-year ban from the sport for testing positive for ostarine during the Devin Haney fight in April earlier this year.

Following his outrageous comments, the WBC has banned him from competing for any and all of their belts, which WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman revealed in a strongly worded tweet. However, the sports journalist Smith feels the punishment isn’t enough for the 25-year-old boxer, as he detailed his thoughts in a YouTube video shared on the platform a few hours ago!

Stephen A. Smith believes Garcia’s behavior is a byproduct of alcohol and d**gsADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Visibly disappointed, Smith, who has conducted multiple interviews with the Victorville puncher, reacted to the entire ordeal, stating, “Ryan Garcia… He should be suspended indefinitely. There should be a dissociation with him from the sport of boxing”. Smith alleged that the things Garcia is doing and the kind of behavior people have seen from him are “not a byproduct of boxing”.

Poll of the dayDo you agree with Stephen A. Smith’s call to dissociate from Ryan Garcia?

Instead, the sports TV presenter had other theories, who claimed, “It’s a byproduct of alcohol and d**gs”. Claiming he used to be fond of the young and promising boxer, Smith announced, “He definitely seems to have a screw loose and nobody is interested in being compassionate”. Recollecting the things Garcia said about George Floyd and being part of the KKK, Smith said, “He does not seem in his right mind; he seems out there and he has completely tarnished his career”.

via Getty

Despite this, it’s worth mentioning that since the incident, Ryan Garcia has apologized for the statements he made. As part of a series of tweets on X, the young boxer wrote, “I take all responsibility for my words. Sorry everyone that I offended”. He even added that he was misunderstood and has been struggling with substance abuse, for which he is “going to rehab”.

However, the time to work on himself might be over for Ryan Garcia, as his own promoter has come out to denounce everything Garcia said.

Oscar De La Hoya thinks the apology from Ryan Garcia is just the startADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Oscar De La Hoya and Ryan Garcia have had a tumultuous relationship, but going into the Devin Haney fight earlier this year, things seemed a lot better between the duo. But after Garcia’s ignorant statements, Oscar couldn’t stand beside him like before. In a tweet after Garcia’s apology, Oscar wrote, “There is no room for hate or intolerance at my company. Period. I condemn Ryan’s words in the strongest terms possible”.

”There is no room for hate or intolerance at my company. Period. I condemn Ryan’s words in the strongest terms possible. I see that he has apologized, and that is a start — but it is only a start to earn back the trust and respect of those of us who have and continue to support…

— Oscar De La Hoya (@OscarDeLaHoya) July 5, 2024

Article continues below this ad

So, Oscar’s like, “That’s a start,” in response to Garcia’s apology, but he’s gotta hustle more to win back the trust and respect of his peeps. The head of Golden Boy even thinks Garcia should take this break from boxing to work on himself. Oscar’s ready to lend a hand with whatever he can, though.

Can Ryan Garcia bounce back from this mess? Time will spill the tea. Right now, Stephen A. Smith’s take pretty much sums up how folks feel about Garcia. He kicked off this drama to hype his fight, but now it’s blowing up big-time and could wreck his boxing career. What do you think?