Ryan Garcia admits health concerns were all an act: 'I was not gonna budge for nobody'

MMA Fighting

Ryan Garcia had the whole world in the palm of his hand.

A "wise" man once said, "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." The 25-year-old boxing superstar prodigy is indeed a real and supremely talented athlete. It turns out, he just had the entire combat sports world fooled beyond belief.

Garcia was a +500 underdog ahead of his recent match with fellow youthful superstar boxer Devin Haney. On paper, the gap between the two never should have been so wide as it was with Garcia at 24-1 to Haney's flawless 31-0. However, the months in advance of the matchup saw the Oscar De La Hoya protege in varied concerning states that left the world questioning the state of his mental health, whether drug or damage-related. Ultimately, the Victorville, Calif. native was acting to the most incredible of his capabilities before putting on a masterclass performance that saw him earn a majority decision upset win over his rival this past Saturday.

"We have it pre-recorded, months ago," Garcia said on PBD Podcast. "What'd I say was gonna happen? I said, 'I'm about to make sure everybody thinks I'm gonna go crazy. I'mma do this, I'mma do that.' Watch, it's gonna be called the 'great escape.' Like, I have it all documented. I was already planning it weeks and months behind.

"I don't know what made me come up with the idea, honestly. One day I just decided to just go all in, and just commit to the plan that I had, and I was not gonna budge for nobody. I was acting like, sporadic. Like just crazy. Faces, I would do this with my nose (scrunch), and then I'd be like, 'It's just a tick.' I had everything."

Garcia's plan worked. Most fans watching the social media posts of Garcia were speculating how the fight could even be allowed after Garcia was "clearly" in disarray and in need of help, proving him unfit to compete.