Sunday Convo: Ryan Garcia Breaks The Internet & Devin Haney

As soon as the first round began, both men met each other in the middle of the ring, and after some feeling out, Garcia landed the first big left hook of the fight and bang, the shot rang through Haney’s entire body and rocked him badly. Haney was instantly hurt. It reminded me of when Roberto Duran hurt Sugar Ray Leonard with a left hook in the second round of their first fight on June 20, 1980. As Leonard would later say, “When he hit me, it hurt.” The look on Haney’s face was that of a man who underestimated Garcia’s power until he was hit with it. Garcia didn’t jump on him when he could have but stayed composed as he almost knew that the left hook would be available again later in the fight.

Once the second round came, Haney regained composure and began to get into a rhythm. He was sticking his left jab to Garcia’s body and landing a left hook of his own. Garcia would have his moments and buzz Haney in rounds two through five, but Garcia, looking back, was playing the long game, which was to get to Haney late. Garcia was also doing a cringeworthy shoulder roll and turned his back almost entirely, which sparked warnings from referee Harvey Dock. Garcia started warming back up in the sixth-round while switching up his offense to land the right hand down the middle. In the seventh round, Garcia’s monster left hook landed again, but this time, Haney went down for the first time in his career and the fight. Garcia tried to finish him, but Haney was holding on to dear life, and the referee did not give him a warning for it. Garcia would get frustrated and hit Haney on a break, which prompted the referee to take a point immediately.

At the end of the day, it’s the referee’s call, but that point deduction seemed premature, especially when he ignored the excessive holding from Haney. Garcia & Haney wouldn’t do much in the eighth & ninth rounds, but in the tenth, another left hook by Garcia sent Haney down for the second time in the fight. Garcia tried to finish him again, but Haney would survive the round. Garcia would come back in the 11^th round and knock Haney down for the third time with another left hook, and by this time, Haney just looked defeated. To his credit, he got back up like the champion he is and continued to fight. The last round didn’t have much to it, but Garcia’s showmanship started to creep out as he knew he had the fight in hand, or did he? Was the lack of offense in the last round a mistake?

It almost was as the ring announcer began to read out the scorecards. Max Deluca scored it 112-112, and Garcia immediately shook his head. Then Eric Marlinski’s card was read as 114-110 for Garcia, with Robin Taylor’s card reading 115-109 for Garcia, giving him the majority decision victory.

What’s Next For Ryan Garcia?

During the post-fight press conference, Garcia was asked about what was next for him and if it was a rematch with Gervonta “Tank’ Davis. Garcia said it isn’t likely, as he can’t make 140 pounds anymore, so he is moving up to 147. De la Hoya would then interject that a Tank fight could happen if it’s at a catchweight of 145 pounds. De La Hoya would later add, “Ryan had a great win. He’ll have a rest. He’s calling all the shots now. If anybody wants to make money, they have to fight Ryan, and guess what? He’s going to call all of the shots.”

A rematch with Haney seems to be the obvious choice since the appetite for it would be great. Being on the losing end, Haney would have to agree to a catchweight, forcing him to decide whether the big check is more important than the title. If Haney doesn’t take the fight, you know who likely would? Teofimo Lopez. This was a fight that De La Hoya and Bob Arum had been trying to make in the past, and now, it’s a blockbuster. I don’t think Lopez would mind the catchweight, as it’s a mega fight. You could fill up the Madison Square Garden for that one. Outside of that, I don’t see Garcia taking any other fight.

My Three Cents

Was this fight an HBO legendary night type of fight? If we are talking about the fight itself, then no, but the story before, during, and after would make it one. With all of his flaws in and out of the ring, Garcia is still a mega star in the sport, and his win on Saturday night was something boxing needed for the casual audience to continue to follow the sport.