By: Sean Crose

“Using my authority as president of the WBC,” World Boxing Council chief Mauricio Sulaiman wrote on social media Thursday evening, “I hereby bar Ryan Garcia from all activity in our organization.” Garcia, a fighter now known for being controversial as well as processing lightning-fast power, reportedly erupted on social media in a tirade that included offensive language toward both blacks and Muslims. “We reject any form of discrimination,” Sulaiman continued. “I am concerned for Ryan’s health as he has repeatedly rejected our attempts to lend a hand him with his mental health and substance abuse.”

Thursday’s Fourth of July fireworks were the latest in a long line of shocking incidents involving the boxer known as “King Ry.” The 25-year-old frequently posts on social media that can often be perceived as odd or offensive. His April win over Devin Haney was ruled a no contest after Garcia was found to have traces of a performance-enhancing drug in his system. Garcia was recently arrested for vandalism in his native California.

Garcia’s behavior became so alarming that his parents themselves addressed the public on Thursday.

“Our son has recently made statements that are not true to his character or beliefs, nor to the true character of our family,” the statement reads. “Our family unequivocally does not support any of his statements regarding race or religion — they do not reflect who Ryan is or how he was raised. Those who know Ryan can attest to this fact. Ryan has been open about his ongoing struggle with mental health over the years, and as a family, we are committed to ensuring and supporting him to receive the lend a hand he needs to cope with this very challenging time and address both his immediate and long-term well-being. We appreciate your continued support, prayers, and compassion.”

Jack Catterall’s trainer Jamie Moore has admitted his junior welterweight fighter’s days are numbered ahead of his fight with Regis Prograis, but he still has a chance to become undisputed champion.

Catterall enters the Prograis fight without a single belt on the line, but is unlucky not to have all four. He could have gotten revenge on Josh Taylor in May, but that win didn’t secure any of the titles he should have been chasing in 2022.

However, with the current 140-pound landscape changing due to Ryan Garcia’s doping ban, Devin Haney’s year-long absence and Teofimo Lopez’s potential move to welterweight, Catterall’s trainer Moore believes the stars could align for his man to claim the belts he was wrongly denied.

“Eddie” [Hearn] he promised Jack [Catterall] after that, Moore told BoxingScene. “I have no doubt he’ll do it, whether it’s a vacancy, because Haney and Lopez might be vacant. Paro’s with Eddie, so it seems like a pretty uncomplicated fight to make.

“Becoming an undisputed champion is so demanding, and two and a half years ago that was taken away from Jack. Nobody ever expects him to get a second chance, with the way it’s opening up now, you never know. In the next 12 months it could actually work out that he gets options, if he can get in there and win a world title, to start getting involved in unifications. It could come full circle and he could get a chance to be an undisputed champion.”

Catterall has spent most of his career fighting to make the 140-pound limit. Moore has hinted at a possible move up to welterweight with the goal of becoming a two-weight world champion. But that’s all in the future.

“The main goal has to be for Jack to win a world title,” Moore continued. “If and when he does that, he can try unification, try to become undisputed again. If that’s not an option, I think we should consider moving up to 147 and moving on to pastures modern.

“He’s stocky and it’s tough for him to make weight, no matter how you look at it. I’d say the maximum he has is three fights at 140 pounds. I imagine that’s when it’s time to move up before it’s too delayed.” [We’d want] “Anyone who has the belts at 147 pounds, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves, we’re just focusing on 140 pounds.”

Curmel Moton has been added to the massive Fanmio PPV event “LAST MAN STANDING: DIAZ VS. MASVIDAL” where he will face Nikolai Buzolin in a lightweight bout this Saturday, July 6th at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

The six-fight PPV event is headlined by a thrilling 10-round lightweight heavyweight clash between combat sports stars Nate Diaz and Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal, who will look to settle their rivalry in decisive and brutal fashion in this blockbuster Fourth of July weekend spectacle.

The massive pay-per-view card begins at 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT and also features a number of established and rising stars in boxing and beyond. In the co-main event, two-time world champion Daniel “The Miracle Man” Jacobs battles invigorating contender Shane Mosley Jr. in a 10-round super middleweight bout.

Also in action is versatile fighter and Nate Diaz teammate Chris Avila, who will face MMA legend Anthony “Showtime” Pettis in a six-round lightweight heavyweight bout. Additionally, undefeated prospects from two of the sport’s top fighting families will battle it out as Amado “AFV” Vargas, son of legendary champion Fernando Vargas, takes on Sean Garcia, younger brother of boxing star Ryan Garcia, in an eight-round lightweight bout.

The lineup is completed by undefeated Devin Cushing, who will face lightweight title contender Manuel Correa in an eight-round bout.

Tickets for the live event are available for purchase for as little as $25, with lower-tier tickets available for $75 (price plus applicable fees and taxes) through Ticketmaster.

The pay-per-view is now available for pre-sale at FANMIO.com/ppv and FANMIO.com/DiazVsMasvidal. The pay-per-view is available for an SRP of $49.99 on all available shopping platforms. Fans can also purchase through the Fanmio app, which is available globally on intelligent TVs and mobile devices via Apple iOS and tvOS, Android Mobile, AndroidTV, Roku, FireTV, Vizio Intelligent TV, Google TV and Chromecast. Fans who pre-order the event through Fanmio will be eligible to order a free official fight t-shirt with their purchase.

Promoted by Floyd Mayweather’s all-time great Mayweather Promotions, Moton (3-0, 2 KOs) returns to the ring after capturing the attention of the boxing world in March with a dominant eight-round unanimous decision victory over previously undefeated Anthony Cuba. The 18-year-old was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and currently trains and lives in Las Vegas, fighting out of the famed Mayweather Boxing Club. Moton turned professional in 2023, having scored a pair of first-round knockouts over previously undefeated fighters, stopping Ezequiel Flores in September and Hunter Turbyfill in November.

Hailing from Russia and currently fighting out of Brooklyn, Buzolin (9-8-1, 5 KOs) has faced a number of invigorating prospects since making his U.S. debut in April 2018. In his first U.S. fight, he defeated undefeated Larry Fryers by sixth-round TKO in Brooklyn. Buzolin has also challenged former title challenger Feargal McCrory, as well as undefeated Demler Zamora, George Rincon and Chann Thonson.