Ryan Garcia had fans worried for his safety before he fought Devin Haney on Saturday night – but quashed all concerns with a stunning performance to win by Majority Decision
The entire pre-fight build-up was marred by his outlandish behaviour in public as experts called for him to be removed from the bout altogether. He furthered those calls when he missed weight by over 3lb and agreed to pay a reported $1.5million fine.
But when the bell rang at the Barclays Center, Garcia put in a vintage performance that saw him take his first major scalp as a professional. He sent the previously unbeaten Haney to the canvas three times and picked up one of the year’s biggest upsets.
Ryan Garcia drops Devin Haney three times en route to massive upset victory
Within a minute of the pair’s super-fight, Garcia found Haney’s chin with a big left hook that sent his rival stumbling back. However, he was unable to capitalise and lost the next five rounds before eventually landing a knockdown that changed the course of the fight.
Haney had never lost as a professional, and aside from being rocked on a few occasions hadn’t been significantly hurt. But he looked out of his feet as he attempted to recover from that knockdown, gaining brief respite as Garcia had a point taken for punching out of the clinch.
But there wasn’t time to recover and in rounds ten and 11 Garcia managed to find two more knockdowns and earn the victory. However, he has not been crowned WBC super-lightweight champion after his embarrassing weight miss.
Ryan Garcia claims he was drinking nightly in preparation for Devin Haney fight
In a brash post-fight press conference, Garcia explained that he had not prepared properly for the bout, and claimed to have been drinking alcohol regularly during fight week. “I don’t give a f*** what people say about me,” he said. “I walked through the fire, and still held it down and still beat f***ing Devin Haney.
“I still drank every day and still beat him – I did everything. What happened? False reality, right? I drank every single night, went out on the first Monday and Tuesday, and drank, drank, drank. What happened? I won.
“I’m not necessarily proud of it, but I’m just saying. It was a statement to say you guys can’t really f*** with me. I can do whatever I want.”
Ryan Garcia details personal struggles that led to poor Devin Haney fight preparation
Garcia’s behaviour before the fight had worried fans in the weeks leading up, and he has admitted that he struggled with problems at home that impacted his mental state. He started the year by divorcing his wife Andrea Celina, and has since made a number of outrageous social media outbursts.
“I was just having fun,” man” he explained. “Look, I’m going through a lot. I went through a divorce, and a lot of s*** is happening to me, you know, outside my life, and it lowkey kind of broke me. So, I did what I felt like I needed to do to feel okay.
“So, I drank every day and did whatever I wanted. I’m not proud of it at all. I just pray for my kids, and hopefully, they are okay. I hope I made them proud.”
UNDERCARD CONTROVERSY: Calls for Boxing rules to be changed after Devin Haney vs Ryan Garcia co-main event