Hasim Rahman Jr has mocked world-champion-in-waiting Ryan Garcia's mental health issues as the row over his botched fight with Jake Paul continues
.Rahman Jr was due to take on Paul in New York this weekend but the fight was cancelled at seven days' notice when the son of a legend claimed he would not try to make the weight limit. The fight was initially contracted to be held at the cruiserweight limit of 200lb before Paul agreed to shift it up by five pounds.
But the YouTube star now claims Rahman Jr said he would not weigh less than 215lb and so the fight was called off. The two rivals have since engaged in a back-and-forth row on social media with contrasting views on the cancellation.
Garcia, widely regarded as one of the most promising fighters in the world, took to social media to say: "If you sign a contract to fight at a weight and then later decide you can’t because reality hit you, then that’s on you. Don’t agree to something you knew you weren’t capable, and then expect for everyone to just oblige to your misstep."
Garcia, who is friends with Paul, pulled out of his fight with Emmanuel Tagoe last year when he was suffering from depression. The 23-year-old opened up on his mental health struggles and said he wanted to kill himself at his lowest point. But that didn't stop Rahman Jr from saying: "I told the truth. I didn’t pull out with some bulls*** 'my mind's not right for boxing' excuse. You been soft boy."
Garcia, who recently stopped Javier Fortuna on his return to the ring, replied: "Hard to get my thoughts right with things like this, I just said don’t sign something you can’t or are not capable of, everything else you say is irrelevant to me. I’ll hold the insults. Carry on now."
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Fighters' mental heath has taken centre stage in recent weeks with UFC star Paddy Pimblett imploring with men to talk about their issues after his close friend killed themselves. And on Saturday, boxer Danny Garcia opened up about his struggles.
"I did take a break, going through mental things," he said after beating Jose Benavidez Jr. "I went through some anxiety, depression, I was just trying my best to stay strong. It was the pressure of life, the pressure of boxing, being a good dad.
"I’m just letting it out right now because it was stuck inside, it rained on me for a year and a half and the only way to get better is to fight and to win, and I’m a fighter, it’s what I do and love to do. If you battle anxiety and depression, you can get over it, that's what I did tonight."
