Hearn on Garcia: "He Wasn't Himself at the Press Conference"

At a press conference in Los Angeles, American boxer Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) confessed to regular alcohol consumption and smoking marijuana, which drew criticism from British promoter Eddie Hearn, who collaborates with Garcia's future opponent, Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs).

"I find Ryan Garcia's behavior quite unstable. First of all, I really think we behaved very well. I'm sure his behavior and his manners at the press conference, and what I've seen on social media... What do the kids call it these days? Weed, joint? [Laughs] I just think he wasn't himself at the press conference, to be honest.

I've been around many people and many fighters, and I've always been right when I thought someone had a problem with this. There were a few particular examples. I think they wouldn't mind me talking about it because it's a valuable lesson. One was Scott Fitzgerald. Another was Austin Williams, who, fortunately, came back from the other side and did it brilliantly. But I just watched their manners. It wasn't any substances or anything like that, you just see something change in a person mentally, emotionally, and behaviorally. I saw it in Austin and, obviously, in Scott.

Let's forget about Garcia's fight. I hope he makes it, but he really needs to focus on the training camp. And I'm worried about the people around him. Although it's none of my business. But what I've seen in the last few days is eccentric behavior, and such behavior is the cause of something. You don't start doing something like that out of nowhere. Have you ever seen him do anything like that? It's not Ryan Garcia at all.

This is especially important for kids and athletes. This might not be a very popular opinion for some people, but I think marijuana is really a bad thing. I think people think they can smoke weed and it's legal, but I can't understand in my life how you can think it's okay to smoke weed all day, starting in the morning. I know some people use it for therapeutic purposes, but that's just my opinion. I'm saying it outright so people don't say, 'What is he on about?'.

This is my opinion. I've seen people who started smoking and thought it was great, and the next thing was something else. The next thing is MDMA, next is cocaine, and so on. I just think it's a very dangerous path. I'm not saying this because of Ryan Garcia, I'm saying this in general. I don't think adding that thing to your system, except for therapeutic purposes, can be helpful for the mind, mood, and focus on your goals, especially for athletes.

This is not a hit towards people who smoke, but I just don't believe you can be 100% mentally focused, especially in a job like boxing. My advice to fighters who smoke weed – I think it's a terrible idea. I'm certain of it. But that's just my opinion – a 44-year-old man who's balding and putting on weight. And yes, I'm concerned about Ryan Garcia's behavior," Hearn said to iFL TV.

The fight between Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney for the WBC light welterweight title will take place on April 20th in New York, USA.