Hope Turns to Disappointment After Latest Undisputed Boxing Videogame Update

Ryan Garcia is on a losing streak, despite beating Devin Haney. According to reports, in another disappointing update, Garcia seems to have been removed from the Undisputed video game set to release on October 11, 2024. After testing positive for Ostarine during his fight against Haney in April, ‘King Ry’ has been suffering loss after loss. 

At first, his win was overturned to a no-contest, then he was banned from boxing for a year, having to pay out $1.2 million in fines. Garcia then caused another furor when he made racist and Islamophobic remarks on social media, leading to the World Boxing Council banning him from participating in any of their fights, which also eventually contributed to his removal from the game. 

Devin Haney won’t be in the game either

Earlier today, Boxing n BBQ took to X to announce, “DAMN. Ryan Garcia has been BOOTED from UNDISPUTED (video game).” As to why the decision was made, in a message on the official discord of the game, the developers said that they were “following the lead of the World Boxing Council” who banished Garcia from fighting for their belts. For players who have already played career mode using Ryan Garcia’s character, the December update for the game will see a full removal of the character from the game. This gives users enough time to complete their saved games.

After more than a year of early access, the game is set to officially launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Interestingly, Canelo Alvarez will grace the cover of the standard edition, while Tyson Fury will be featured on the cover of the Deluxe (WBC Edition).

The game is being published by Deep Silver, with Steel City Interactive handling the development. A trailer has also been released, showcasing several not-so-subtle brand placements for the Riyadh Season, which may have provided financial backing for the developers. Interestingly, it’s also worth mentioning that even Devin Haney won’t be in the game either.

The former undisputed lightweight champion told AKHi TV, “I had talked to them [the makers] a long time ago about putting me on the cover, it was some different people on the cover and I wanted to be on the cover, and they just didn’t want to do it so I just opted to be out of the game.”

Regardless, with the recent news of Ryan Garcia’s removal from the game, the boxing community appears to be disappointed with the development.

Ryan Garcia sways buying decision

Despite his trash-talking and brash personality, Ryan Garcia has quite a large and loyal fan base in and out of boxing. That could have played a key role in these opinions on social media. Like this user, who branded the game “Mid” before it even came out. “Top 5 most popular boxers not on the game? It’s official mid now,” the user wrote. It’s yet to be seen whether this omission affects the sales numbers for the game. 

Another user seems to have felt bad for Garcia. The user commented, “Booted from a game that’s never came out..lol how terrible.” It’s unclear whether Ryan Garcia was paid for his likeness being used in the game. If he was, the Victorville native might not mind it as much. 

Meanwhile, this user’s plans for the game seem to have been tarnished with the new update. The user wrote, “Damn I was gonna whoop his a**💔.” In the game, buyers can play as a plethora of boxers and recreate legendary boxing matches. 

Upset about Garcia’s removal, this user seemed to have made a decision. “Not buying,” the user commented. Well, the user will save quite the money. The standard edition of the game is priced at $59.99 for both PS5 and Xbox while the deluxe edition is going for $79.99. It’s priced higher than the Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois pay-per-view. 

Someone else blamed Devin Haney for Garcia’s problems. “Haney taking everything from buddy 😭,” the user commented. Notably, Haney recently even filed a lawsuit against Ryan Garcia, alleging breach of contract, purposely missing weight, battery, and fraud.

It appears Ryan Garcia can’t catch a break—it’s as if everyone in boxing has turned on him. It raises questions about his return in April next year. Do you think keeping him out of the Undisputed game was fair or deserved?