Ryan Garcia charged with vandalism after incident in Beverly Hills

Ryan Garcia was charged Thursday by Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon with vandalism stemming from an incident that occurred last month on June 8 at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills.

According to ESPN, 25-year-old Ryan, one of the biggest US boxing stars, caused $15,000 in damage to the Astoria Hotel.

Garcia recently made it look easy by defeating Devin Haney, considered by many to be the best fighter in the 140 division, by 12-round majority decision on April 20. That win, which saw Ryan knock Haney down three times, was changed to a no-contest due to his failed performance-enhancing drug test.

Next month, Ryan Garcia’s arraignment is scheduled for August 7 at the Airport Courthouse in Los Angeles. If Ryan is convicted of vandalism, he could be sentenced to one year in prison.

“While we are grateful that no injuries were reported in this incident, reckless conduct that causes property damage shows a blatant and unacceptable disregard for the safety and peace of our community,” Gascón said, via ESPN. “Our office will work to ensure the individual responsible is held accountable.”

Interestingly, Ryan doesn’t seem to be bothered by the charges and the possibility of spending a year in prison for vandalism. Ryan said the following:

I’m definitely not going to prison

— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) July 18, 2024

Ryan’s stance suggests he will not receive a harsh punishment for this accusation, but if he is wrong, it could ruin his career.

The New York State Athletic Commission has already suspended Ryan for a year for testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug Ostarine last April. This suspension will keep Ryan out of action until April 2025. If Ryan gets a year in prison, he will be out of action for a longer period of time.

Ryan’s future in boxing could be affected if he is unable to return to the ring until 2026 due to a prison sentence. While some boxers can take two years off and still compete at a high level, many cannot without a drop in performance.