Ryan Garcia has pulled out of his planned July 9 showdown with Javier Fortuna to manage his “health and wellbeing”.
‘King Ryan’ (21-0 with 18 KOs) is one of the hottest young properties in the sport and appears to be heading for the very top as one of the stars of a stacked lightweight division.
But the 22-year-old announced via his Instagam account on Saturday night that he is taking some time out, and will no longer be facing Fortuna (36-2-1) this summer. The pair had been due to lock horns for Garcia’s WBC interim title at 135lbs.
Garcia said: “I know this news may be disappointing to some of my fans but I am announcing today that I am withdrawing from my July 9th fight. At this time it is important to manage my health and wellbeing.
“I have decided to take some time off to focus on becoming a stronger version of myself. I hope to be back soon and am looking forward to stepping back into the ring when I am my healthiest self. I want to Thank God, my family, my doctors and my supporters.”
Garcia last fought at the very start of 2021 when he got up off the floor to KO Britain’s Luke Campbell in Dallas with a devastating body shot.
The showdown with Fortuna - like the win over Campbell in January - was due to be streamed globally by DAZN.
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