Ryan Garcia batters Haney as crazy as he wanted
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Ángel Cantú, Contributor
- April 21, 2024
King Ryan dominated Haney
After a whirlwind of questionable activities by Ryan Garcia leading up to his fight against Devin Haney, the odds didn’t favor Garcia. King Ryan didn’t help his case by missing weight, which generated questions about his physique entering the bout.
It wasn’t quite Rope a Dope, but King Ryan was crazy like a fox.
“Did you guys really think I was crazy,” Garcia said in the post-fight interview on DAZN.
In front of a crowd of 14,601 at the Barclays Center in New York, the 5-foot-9 Garcia landed a haymaker early in the first round, which ignited the fight. Garcia knocked down Haney with his renowned left hook in the seventh, 10th and 11th rounds.
Garcia’s devastating shots left many in awe. Few expected Garcia to dominate as thoroughly as he did Saturday night. The Los Angeles native’s bizarre social media antics made Haney the clear-cut favorite in the eyes of the oddsmakers.
Ryan Garcia left no doubt
But Garcia’s left hook found Haney repeatedly, staggering the WBC Junior Welterweight champion multiple times.
“My left hook is my left hook, blessed by God,” he said. “So when I land it, it can knock you out or put you down.”
Because Garcia (25-1, 20 KOs) missed weight by 3 5/10 pounds, he couldn’t earn Haney’s WBC Junior Welterweight championship belt. Instead, Garcia garnered bragging rights and an opportunity to reestablish his dominance against Haney in a potential match. This time for the championship belt.
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Haney (31-1) suffered his first defeat. It was also the first time in his professional career that he’s been knocked down.
“I would like a rematch,” Haney said. “I gave him a shot. It’s only right that he gives me a shot back.”
Prior to their much anticipated fight, Garcia and Haney had met six times in the amateur level. They split their encounters, winning three fights each. In their seventh encounter — first professionally — Garcia kept Haney on his heels as he threw and landed more punches.
Garcia’s power was too much
Garcia landed 106 total punches. Although Haney out-jabbed the 25-year-old orthodox boxer by an impressive 42-11 comparison, Garcia’s power punches were the difference. Garcia connected with 95 power punches compared to Haney’s 45. Garcia administered a plethora of blows with his left, especially his acclaimed left hook.
Once he landed the first big punch, Garcia had no doubt he hurt Haney. He figured he had control of the potential fight of the year after he scored the first knockdown.
“I knew I had control after that, Garcia said. “It’s hard to recover from big shots. Maybe my conditioning wasn’t the best, but I got the job done.”
Garcia received a point deduction in the seventh round because of a late hit that he connected after referee Harvey Dock stopped the match for a brief moment to check on Haney.
It wasn’t sufficient to stop Garcia. Two out of three judges had Ryan Garcia winning in dominant fashion. The other judge ruled it a draw at 112. Garcia, who suffered his first loss to Gervonta Davis almost exactly a year ago, has avenged his loss with consecutive impressive victories.
As crazy as it seems, it’s safe to say Ryan Garcia is back.
Ángel Cantú
Contributor
Our Esquina contributor Ángel Cantú is a co-host for the Full Seam Ahead podcast. He joined Teach for America after graduating from Texas A&M University. He is currently a fourth grade teacher at KIPP Public Schools in Houston.
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