Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia finally met in the ring at Brooklyn's Barclays Center on Saturday night after a highly unusual fight arc, but it wasn't exactly what fans expected when they both signed on the dotted line. It was completely different. The biggest concern for many during the promotion of this fight was Garcia's mental state, as the 25-year-old showed signs that he was probably not in the right mental state for one of the biggest fights of his young career. was.
But the real concern, at least for Haney, should have been Garcia's left hook. Haney was dropped three times by Garcia's left hook on Saturday as he showcased his most powerful weapon en route to a dominant decision victory. Unfortunately for Garcia, Haney's WBC super lightweight belt was not on the line as he missed the weigh-in on Friday.
After the match with Haney was confirmed, concerns about Golden Boy Promotions' biggest star began to grow, and Garcia began making controversial and derogatory posts on social media. Garcia has been open about his own mental health issues in the past, even taking a break from his professional boxing career to sort himself out.
Things came to a head at Friday's weigh-in when Garcia weighed 3.2 pounds over the 140-pound limit. He made a bet with Haney at a press conference Thursday, agreeing to pay him $500,000 for every 140 pounds he weighs. That bet ended up costing Garcia $1.5 million, and Haney later tweeted that Garcia had honored the bet. And during the ceremonial weigh-in, Garcia appeared to be chugging beer on his scale. He later tweeted: “Apple juice and soda.”
The weigh-in error and Garcia's apparently fragile mental state had many concerned for his safety. In fact, Garcia may have been preparing for a major upset. And now, the two may have a rematch for the belt.
Here's how the battle unfolded:
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Devin Haney vs Ryan Garcia match results
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Super Lightweight: Ryan Garcia def. Devin Haney by majority decision (112-112, 114-110, 115-109)
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Super Lightweight: Arnold Barboza def. Sean McComb (92-98, 96-94, 97-93) split decision
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Super middleweight: Bektemir Melikuziev def. Pierre DeBombe, technical unanimous decision (79-73, 79-73, 78-74)
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WBA Interim Super Flyweight Title: David Jimenez def. John Ramirez by unanimous decision (117-111, 117-111, 116-112)
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Super Welterweight: Charles Conwell def. Nathaniel Gallimore, R6 0:52, TKO
