After his , has tried his hand at , but it didn’t go exactly to plan. Garcia is having to find things outside of boxing to do for the next year after he was recently given a one-year ban from the sport by the New York State Athletic Commission after he tested positive for ostarine, a banned substance, in tests that he took before he fought Devin Haney. Garcia decided to test his stand-up comedy skills as he made an appearance at Laugh Factory.
He was introduced by comedian Chris D’Elia, who remained on stage throughout the set. The American fighter introduced himself as a boxer who had recently been banned, a statement met with boos from the crowd, who obviously recognised him. Clips from Garcia’s set went viral on X, formerly Twitter, where he seemed to discuss his recent ban several times.
The American, clearly nervous in a new environment, seemed to forget his lines at one point, prompting D’Elia to interrupt and encourage the crowd to cheer and show some support. He then started shadowboxing to keep the crowd entertained while he tried to remember what lines he had prepared for the set. Garcia then went on to say that he ‘never took steroids’ and that ‘the truth is the truth, and a lie is a lie.
’ His set wasn’t the easiest watch, and certainly not the smoothest, but understandably so, as it was an unfamiliar environment for the boxer. Garcia can be thankful that D’Elia stayed on stage as several times the comic interrupted to keep the flow of the set g.