Sports minister Gayton McKenzie has expressed his intention to invite openly racist boxer Ryan Garcia to South Africa as a special guest for Dricus du Plessis' next title fight.
Before Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya fought in Perth, UFC boss Dana White promised to bring a UFC fight card in Mzansi if the South African managed to defend his middleweight title.
Du Plessis did win, and ff White's assertions are to be believed, he could face the number one contender Sean Strickland in the country for his next title fight.
Before the highly anticipated fight on Sunday, Garcia had publicly supported Du Plessis to defeat Adesanya in a series of posts on X, and placed a $500,000 bet on the South African.
Following Du Plessis's victory, McKenzie took X and said he would invite Garcia to South Africa for Du Plessis's next title.
I’m going to invite you as a special guest to our lovely country South Africa for the next fight on home soil for @dricusduplessis , thanks for supporting us, we shall revenge your kindness upon your arrival here. https://t.co/LxqYvlAFU1
— Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) August 18, 2024
"I’m going to invite you as a special guest to our lovely country South Africa for the next fight on home soil for @dricusduplessis thanks for supporting us, we shall revenge your kindness upon your arrival here," McKenzie wrote on X.
Last month Garcia was expelled by the World Boxing Council (WBC) for using racial slurs against black people and muslims on social media, with the organisation’s president Mauricio Sulaiman saying there was no room for discrimination in the sport.
“I am hereby expelling Ryan Garcia from any activity with our organization. We reject any form of discrimination,” Sulaiman said.
During an X Spaces conversation last month, Garcia went into a racist rant, and after using a slew of slurs, is heard saying: "Let's dig up George Floyd and kill that n***r again."
Before that, the 26-year-old was also suspended by the New York State Athletic Commission for a year after he tested positive for banned substances during his last fight against Devin Haney.
Just like that, the new president
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) May 30, 2024
He will still win
Just watch 🇺![CDATA[]]>🇸 pic.twitter.com/v2NiEs6Sab
Garcia is also a huge supporter of former United States president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump, and has made it clear he wants the Republican nominee back in the Oval Office.
IOL Sport