Ryan Garcia has proven himself despite going into the fight against Devin Haney as the major underdog. In an upsetting defeat, King Ryan hands Haney his first loss of his professional boxing career. While Garcia’s fitness was put into question leading into the bout, even entering the weigh in three pounds over, Garcia came out victorious in the much-anticipated fight, delivering three knockdowns and a win by majority decision.
Garcia now holds a 25-1, 20 KOs record. Despite winning the match, Garcia was unable to win Haney’s WBC junior welterweight title after weighing in at 143.2 pounds for the 140-pound fight. Haney is technically still the champion in defeat but Garcia has scored the career-best win in the fight. With a powerful left hook, Garcia took over the bout that startled the champion. Haney started of strong, wobbling Garcia in Round 3. Garcia found his rhythm and countered with a left hook that changed the course of the fight. In Round 7, Haney was floored but to a controversial call by the referee who deducted one point from Garcia, “It was a horrible ref. [Haney] was holding me for dear life, and I felt an opportunity to keep swinging while my hands were free and I cracked him. And then he took a point away when I cracked him, but [Haney] held me and then I should have knocked him out in that seventh round. They stole that from me…And Devin was holding and holding and holding…That was ridiculous. That was crazy. I never seen some shit like that.” Hanye was later floored again in Round 10 by the same right punch Garcia used to wobble him in Round 6. Garcia landed a final counter left hook that saw Haney land backwards into the canvas, yet still get up with a badly swollen cheek and bloody mouth before the final bell rung. Haney said, “He caught me early when I was sleeping on him. He caught me by surprise. I fell asleep on the left hook. We trained for it, but I got in there and I fell asleep. And he caught me with it.”
For his three pounds overweight, Garcia made good on the bet, paying Haney $500,000 USD for every pound he went over. Garcia has proven that he is a force to be reckoned with. Post-fight, Garcia was heard telling Haney, “Let’s run it back,” foreshadowing that there may be another bout between the two down the line. For now, King Ryan enjoys another stunning victory.
