Throughout the promotion of the fight, Ryan Garcia displayed behavior that made some people believe he was unfit to compete in a boxing match, but on Saturday night April 20th, live on DAZN PPV, Garcia had the performance of his life as he shocked the world by defeating Devin Haney (31-1, 15 KOs) via majority decision.
Prior to the bout, Garcia’s antics on social media were so outrageous to the point that Arnold Barboza Jr was designated as the backup opponent for Haney. Despite all the antics, and the failure to make weight, Garcia arrived at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York determined and ready for battle.
Garcia got off to the perfect start as seconds into the fight he wobbled Haney when he landed his signature left hook. Garcia continued to press forward and land solid shots as he was the clear cut winner of the first round.
Haney settled down in the second round as he used feints threw the jab, and connected with a solid right hand. In the fourth round as Devin Haney was consistently executing his offense, Garcia was fighting off the back foot and using his awkward looking shoulder roll.
As Garcia continued to utilize his unorthodox defensive tactic, Haney connected with the jab and the right hand through the course of the fifth round. Garcia would respond in the sixth as he pressed forward and landed a flurry of shots early in the round.
The 7th round was a chaotic round as Garcia connected with a left hook that sent Haney down to the canvas. Haney got up, but he was standing on unstable legs. Haney was hurt to the point where he had to hold Garcia, and that’s when Garcia punched Haney while the referee was breaking the clinch.
Due to the foul committed by Garcia, referee Harvey Dock decided to deduct a point. The underdog Ryan Garcia continued to aggressively press forward and land significant shots. Haney touched the canvas two additional times in the round as he was lunging forward trying to hold, but the two times he fell weren’t considered knockdowns.
Rounds 8 and 9 consisted of good back and forth action. In the tenth round, Garcia scored his second knockdown of the fight when he landed his go to punch. Ryan was dominant in the 10th as he closed out the round by hurting Haney with another left hook.
Ryan Garcia was money, as he landed his money shot in the 11th round and scored a third knockdown. Both boxers cruised through the 12th round as Garcia started showboating during the final seconds of the fight. At the conclusion of the bout, Ryan Garcia earned a majority decision victory by the scores of 112-112, 114-110, and 115-109.
Ryan “King Ry” Garcia (25-1, 20 KOs) defeated his arch rival Devin Haney, but due to the fact that he missed weight by three pounds, he was ineligible to win the WBC super-lightweight world title. Garcia didn’t become a champion on Saturday night, but he leaves Brooklyn, New York with the satisfaction of showing the world that he can win the big fight.
As for Devin Haney, he will leave Brooklyn, New York with the WBC belt, but unfortunately for him, he won’t leave with an unblemished record. Coming into the bout, Devin Haney was the betting favorite, but during the course of the fight he made the technical era of chasing the knockout artist.
The Ryan Garcia vs Devin Haney bout was an exciting and action packed event. They faced each other six times in the amateurs as both fighters won three fights each. Now that Garcia has won the rubber match in the pro ranks, the question is will we see an eighth overall fight between Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney?
