After All The Antics, Ryan Garcia Upsets Devin Haney

By Ron Harris (Black Men In America.com)

Brooklyn, NY – Many boxing people, fans and press alike were not sure this fight would happen. Ryan Garcia seemed to have issues outside the ring leading up to this fight including not making the weight of 140 pounds. He was 3 ½ pounds over the limit, meaning he could not win the World Boxing Council Jr. Welterweight championship. World Champion Devin “The Dream” Haney, could have pulled out of the fight but decided to fight the challenger. Haney holds all the belts at 135 pounds, and it showed in this fight. His punches had no effect on the bigger Garcia who weighed well-over 140 pounds. Garcia, known as “King”, displayed his power over Haney with 3 knockdowns in the fight. Haney had never been knocked down. All the action took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Haney 31-1 went down in the 7^th, 10^th, and 11^th rounds. Each time Haney was caught with a left hook, Garcia’s bread and butter punch. “I fell asleep on the first left hook,” said Haney. “We worked on that in camp, but I fell asleep, and he caught me.” On the first knockdown in round 7, Garcia was penalized a point for punching Haney late by referee Harvey Dock. Meaning a 10-8 scoring round turned into a 9-8 round for Garcia. That point deduction almost cost Garcia the fight. Garcia, 25-1 broke a 3-3 record against Haney going back to the amateurs. His only professional loss came at the hands of Tank Davis on a 7^th round TKO. Scoring in this fight was 112-112, 114-110 and 115-109 for a majority decision in favor of Garcia, 25.

“My left hook is my left hook. Whenever I land it, it will put you out or hurt you,” said Garcia. It sure was his go-to punch in this fight. Garcia fought this fight in spurts. When he wasn’t throwing in flurries, he didn’t do much. It was clear that Haney’s punches had no effect on Garcia. After the first big left hook that put Haney down, Garcia says, “I just knew I had control after that, it’s hard to recover after big shots. My conditioning wasn’t my best but at the end of the day I got the job done.”

The first knockdown was a surprise to Haney. “I was more surprised than hurt on the first knockdown. I would love a rematch. I gave him a shot and he should give me a shot.” Haney is a pound for pound top fighter. Some fighters never return from getting knocked down 3 times in a fight. Now is the time to see if Haney is the champion people thought he was. He is only 25 years old, so he has time to bounce back.

Photo Credit: Yahoo Sports

About Ron Harris

Ron Harris, retired college administrator, coach, broadcaster, Internet and TV sports producer and host. Former radio host of a live call-in show. Extremely close to the sports landscape in the Washington, DC metro area. Former radio sports reporter, covering MLB, college sports, major boxing events and much more.