Ryan Garcia has pulled off one of the year’s biggest upsets as he stopped Devin Haney at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn – but didn’t pick up the WBC super-lightweight world title.
Fans and experts in their droves were picking the undefeated two-weight world champion Haney as the pair took part in their seventh meeting since first fighting in the amateurs as teens. They had gone 3-3 in the unpaid ranks, but had taken their time in the pros to reunite for the rubber match.
Haney, fresh off his second world title win back in December against Regis Prograis, had yet to taste defeat in the paid ranks – despite controversy over his win against Vasily Lomachenko in May 2023. But despite dominating the quieter rounds, he couldn’t deal with the lethal left hook of his much heavier rival.
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World title vacated as Ryan Garcia misses weight for Devin Haney grudge fight
Prior to the bout, fans had called for Garcia to be removed from the contest after missing weight by over 3lb. He had been making waves on social media throughout the build-up with seemingly unhinged posts, and tipped it over the edge with his embarrassing effort on the scales.
Garcia had agreed during the pre-fight press conference to pay Haney and his father Bill $500,000 for every pound over the limit he weighed. And while it is unclear whether or not he will honour that, the fight was saved by last-minute negotiations.
However, with Garcia missing weight, the fight was only a world title bout for Haney. In the event of the challenger winning, the belt was to become vacant.
Devin Haney dropped three times as Ryan Garcia hands him first professional loss
Garcia hurt Haney almost instantly in the first round, but appeared early to have felt an adrenaline dump as his rival stayed up from a big left hook. And after struggling through the next five rounds, Garcia landed his big knockdown in the seventh that changed the course of the fight.
After the referee took a point from Garcia for his punching out of the clinch, Haney was able to get back to his feet, although a number of knockdowns were not scored and listed as slips. The champion was able to regain composure through to the tenth, but was dropped again by a left hook.
However, with the scorecards likely lopsided in Haney’s favour it was the thudding eleventh round knockdown that Garcia needed to secure his win. One judge called the fight a draw, but the other two ended up finding it in the California native’s favour.
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Garcia’s outlandish behaviour in the build-up to the fight saw many experts claim that his mental health was in question. And when he failed to make weight, there were calls to have him pulled from the event altogether.
But he proved that whether his outbursts were an act or a legitimate breakdown, he was able to perform where it mattered in the ring. It is unclear whether or not he and Haney will have a rematch after the expected success of their pay-per-view fight.
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