After months of enduring ridicule from those gave who him no shot at victory, his own erratic behavior and failure to make weight, Ryan Garcia still came up victorious Saturday night in Brooklyn. Ryan Garcia faced off against and floored Devin “The Dream” Haney three times en route to a majority decision victory and handing Haney his first professional loss.
Garcia wasted no time getting off to a fast start in the middle of the first round with a left hook that rocked Haney. In the second round Haney was able to regain his composure, effectively box Garcia and even rock him with a combination. Rounds three through six saw more of the same with Haney picking his spots to score effectively against Garcia. However, Haney did hold Garcia more than we can seemingly remember in his career.
The tide began to turn in round seven as Garcia dropped Haney with his signature left hook. Haney beat the count but was clearly on shaky ground. Haney would fall two other times in the round, but the referee would rule them as slips.
The next big moment of the fight arrived in rounds ten and eleven where Garcia would go on to drop Haney in each round again with the left hook serving as the finishing touch. By the final round Haney look spent and Garcia was clearly in control at this point, even mocking Haney at moments in the ring.
Of the performance Garcia said, “I shouldn’t have put too much pressure on myself to stop him, because every time I hurt him, I went crazy and I couldn’t stop him…I think the ref should’ve stopped the fight. He (Haney) was really hurt. I felt bad, I even looked at Bill to stop the fight. [Regarding the point being deducted in seventh round] The guy was holding me for dear life, and I felt the opportunity to keep swinging while my hands were free. I should’ve knocked him out that seventh round. They stole that from me. I’m surprised he has so much heart and recovery. He got wobbled bad in the first round. I thought it was over. He even hurt me with a hook. At the end of the day, I’m going to fight him, win or lose.”
The official scores of the judges were 115-109, 114-110 and 112-112 resulting in a majority decision for Ryan Garcia. Much has been critiqued about Garcia, from his erratic behavior on social media, to his disputes with promoters and sometimes questionable work ethic. But one thing that can’t be criticized is the performance he put on in the ring last night. It was perhaps the best of his career and begs the question. What’s next?
The possibilities at 140lbs are plenty. A rematch with Haney, a bout with Rolly Romero or Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz. However, Garcia has indicated a desire to move up to 147lbs. The competition there is certainly stiffer, but momentum and market leverage are on his side. As this victory helps further establish Ryan Garcia as a pay-per-view fighter. This means money and notoriety for Garcia and any prospective opponent that decides they want to face him. As a result, it will be interesting to see who comes calling.
Until then check out the highlights from Haney vs. Garcia here.
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