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Boxing superstar Ryan Garcia is one of the most popular fighters in the world today, but the 22-year-old lightweight phenom decided to delete one of his social media accounts on Friday after discovering his account was suddenly unverified.
Garcia seems to believe his recent posts about his religious views were the reason for that happening. The fighter revealed that viewpoint via Twitter before his account suddenly disappeared. Later, Garcia announced via Instagram why he had decided to delete his account.
“Man, Twitter did me dirty! I no longer have a Twitter account, so if you ever see a Twitter account that has my name on it, it’s not me,” Garcia said.
The undefeated fighter then asked his over 8.3 million followers on Instagram whether Twitter was toxic.
“So it’s okay to have pornography on Twitter and explicit stuff that kids can see, yet because I’m talking about God, boxing and Jesus, they want to silence me,” Garcia said.
You can see all that from Garcia’s account below.
Why Did Twitter Remove Garcia’s Verification?
Garcia blasted the social media giant via his Instagram page, but the timing of his verification issue seems to coincide with Twitter’s “Last Call” over its newly updated verification process.
Twitter notified users on December 17 that the company had a new verification policy and advised it would start removing verification badges from “inactive” and “incomplete” accounts on January 22, which is the same day Garcia saw he lost his verified status and deleted his account.
Last call! As part of our new verification policy, we’ll remove verification badges from inactive and incomplete accounts starting tomorrow, January 22.
We’ve reached out directly to those who need to take action to stay verified. For more info: t.co/pDI1YmZOM7
Garcia tied his verification issue to his recent posts about his religious views, but the timing of everything makes it likely that Twitter simply had incomplete information on the celebrity boxing superstar.
Garcia Headed Into Megafight?
Garcia is only 22, but the 135-pound phenom seems to be headed toward a superfight boxing match against another top superstar later this year.
Since the fighter stopped Luke Campbell earlier this month on DAZN, Garcia has taken aim at undefeated southpaw slugger Gervonta Davis as well as other top stars competing in and around boxing’s stacked lightweight division.
Together, Garcia, Davis, Teofimo Lopez, and Devin Haney make up a solid core of top-flight young stars competing in and around the same weight class.
Ryan Garcia tells SI he has deactivated his Twitter account. Garcia says he has been unhappy with how toxic Twitter has become. Garcia, a fast rising contender, is one of boxing’s most popular stars, with more than eight million Instagram followers.
But Garcia recently indicated via Twitter he believes an even bigger name could be in store for his next fight.
Some have speculated it might even be current WBA welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, though it would seem strange for that fight to happen right now since the two megastars are currently competing in different divisions.
Of course, now that Garcia has deleted that social media account, fans and media will have to keep tabs on the boxing phenom in other ways.
Luckily for Garcia, the fighter already enjoys a way bigger following on Instagram anyway.
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