Ryan Garcia stunned everyone in the boxing world when he defeated Devin Haney at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday night.
One of the year’s biggest pay-per-views was sold almost entirely on the back of the California native’s wacky behaviour. But in terms of the athletic contest, many viewers felt that it was going to be a one-sided evening for his rival, who had never lost as a professional in his 31 previous efforts.
But Garcia came out swinging from the bell and had Haney hurt in the first before eventually dropping him in the seventh. With two further knockdowns in rounds 10 and 11, he picked up a Majority Decision victory that catapults him to stardom.
UNDERCARD DRAMA: Fans blast ‘worst decision ever’ in Ryan Garcia vs Devin Haney co-main event
Ryan Garcia fails to win world title despite dropping Devin Haney three times to win grudge fight
One key factor heading into the fight was Garcia opting to take a $1.5million fine and come in 3.2lb over the 140lb weight limit. Having previously displayed seemingly unhinged behaviour on social media, many felt that this was the final straw and that he should be pulled from the bout.
However, he proved the doubters wrong with a career best performance that saw him inch ahead of Haney in their series of bouts dating back to the amateurs. They had previously won three each in their six unpaid fights, but Garcia is now ahead after his dominant victory.
Unfortunately for the star boxer, he was not awarded the WBC super-lightweight title in his win over current champion Haney. Instead, the governing body have opted to allow the former undisputed lightweight champion to retain the belt.
Ryan Garcia makes shocking admission about drinking before Devin Haney fight
One factor that may have played into Garcia’s wacky behaviour pre-fight was his claim that he was drinking alcohol regularly during camp. He admitted in the post-fight press conference that personal issues including his highly-publicised divorce with Andrea Celina caused him to drink heavily.
“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.”
Gervonta Davis tells Ryan Garcia to retire after landing life-changing Devin Haney win
One of Garcia’s great rivals coming up from the lightweight division is Gervonta Davis, who handed him his sole professional loss last year. The top lightweight stopped him to the body in the seventh round of their super-fight, which is believed to have sold 1.2million pay-per-view units.
And taking to social media, ‘Tank’ had a lot to say about the fight – most shockingly informing Garcia that he should hang up the gloves. In a now-deleted tweet, Davis told fans that “It’s best Ryan retire now… He gonna get hurt bad.”
The pair’s first fight ended decisively as Garcia opted not to get up from a body shot, but the 25-year-old claims that the brutal weight cut and subsequent rehydration clause were key factors. He was required to not only make 135lb, but also appear at 145lb the morning of the fight.