Ryan Garcia's next fight is off.
The lightweight contender announced on Instagram that he is pulling out of his July 9 fight against Javier Fortuna. Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) did not list a specific reason for his withdrawal.
"At this time it is important to manage my health and wellbeing," Garcia wrote in a post published on Saturday. "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."
Teofimo Lopez Jr., who owns the WBO, WBA and IBF lightweight belts and is the WBC's "franchise" champion in the division, took to Twitter to support Garcia.
It takes a brave soul like Ryan Garcia to openly express that he's going through tough times mentally. Instead of pointing the finger at him maybe you all should take a lesson from it!
— Teofimo Lopez (@TeofimoLopez) April 24, 2021
We're all dealing with something so what makes us any better? #LOVEyours
Garcia, 22, was scheduled to face Fortuna (36-2-1, 25 KOs) in a defense of a minor WBC lightweight belt. Garcia's announcement came less than two weeks after Golden Boy Promotions announced the July bout.
Garcia is coming off a knockout win over former title contender Luke Campbell in January. The win helped legitimize Garcia's status as one of boxing's rising stars.