By
Trump-supporting boxer Ryan Garcia, who’s currently serving a suspension for steroid use, has been banned by the World Boxing Council after he reportedly made racist comments about Muslims, the Ku Klux Klan and George Floyd.
In a tirade on social media platform X, Garcia is reportedly heard saying, “I hate n-----s” and “I’m anti-Black,” before going on to say he’s the KKK. After a voice on the call says they should kill “the next George Floyd” with an AK-47, Garcia is reportedly heard saying they should “bring George Floyd back to life and kill that n----- again.” The comments also swerved into Islamophobia, with Garcia reportedly saying, “F--- all you Muslims that rape little kids.”
After the comments spread widely online, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman announced he had expelled the fighter from the organization.
In a now-deleted post on X, Garcia appeared to backtrack a little: "I was trolling I want all the killing to stop ... I love everyone sorry if I offended you,” he posted, according to The Associated Press.
Garcia has fashioned himself into a right-wing social media influencer over the last year, as his boxing career has fallen off. Earlier this year, the Trump campaign touted Garcia’s endorsement, which demonstrated for me just how much the Trump campaign is relying on social media clout rather than reputable figures with institutional knowledge. Touting Garcia's support was yet another example of Team Trump’s effort to use combat sports figures to boost his campaign.
The ties that bind Garcia to Trump’s movement are abundantly clear. And the boxer’s racist remarks and embrace of QAnon-adjacent conspiracies make him virtually indistinguishable from many other Trump-supporting MAGA influencers.