ONE of the most distressing sights I’ve seen was watching Oliver McCall having a mental breakdown during his world title fight with Lennox Lewis.
Though it was 27 years ago, seeing a sobbing McCall losing his mind three rounds into his clash with Lewis for the vacant WBC heavyweight crown is not something you easily forget.
McCall made it clear after nine minutes he no longer wanted to fight — he simply turned his back on a shocked Lewis, and spent the entire fourth round pacing the Las Vegas Hilton ring.
At the beginning of the fifth it was obvious McCall was still being tormented by his demons.
Oliver, with tears streaming down his face, was gently led back to his corner by referee Mills Lane, who declared Lennox a TKO winner.
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We discovered months prior to the fight McCall had been admitted to rehab suffering from cocaine and cannabis addiction.
And it was no surprise when we learned he was diagnosed as mentally ill and sent to a Virginia psychiatric hospital.
Perhaps it was the McCall case that persuaded New York State Athletic Commission officials to suggest Ryan Garcia, 25, should consent to a mental health evaluation before he challenges Devin Haney for his WBC super-lightweight title at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center tomorrow.
Because Garcia has a history of mental health problems — three years ago he pulled out of a fight claiming he was suffering from depression and anxiety.
He said: “Some days I cry, some days I don’t even want to speak.”
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In the build-up to this long-awaited battle with super-star Haney, Garcia has made bizarre posts on social media.
He has ranted about having proof of aliens, being raped at the age of two by a family member and being forced to watch child pornography.
For Garcia to go into a fight mentally fragile is as dangerous as boxing with a concussion.
But he went ballistic when it was put to him he should be psychiatrically examined.
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He raged: “They are trying to mess with my constitutional rights of free speech. I will sue for defamation of character.”
Needless to say the idea has been dropped and the stage is set for an epic encounter.
Unbeaten Haney, 25, is in the running for the Fighter of the Year award, having already unified the lightweight division.
Garcia has lost only one of his 25 fights.
There’s no love lost between the pair and they met six times in the amateurs, with the score tied at 3-3.
Haney is the 4-7 favourite and I expect him to justify those odds with a points victory.
And we must hope that, whatever happens, we are not subjected to a Garcia meltdown.
