Ryan Garcia defeated Devin Haney on April 20th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The pair faced off in a main event match that was streamed live on pay-per-view.
The scheduled 12-round contest has completed its entire run. The Los Angeles-based contender defeated San Francisco’s former undisputed lightweight champion by majority decision, despite being sent to the canvas three times along the way.
Haney was knocked down in the seventh, 10th, and 11th rounds. In the seventh round, Garcia was deducted a point for taking a hit on the break. In the end, one judge scored the fight 112-112, while the other two judges scored it 114-110 and 115-109 for King Rai.
Garcia was initially expected to challenge Haney’s WBC 140-pound belt, but was 3.2 pounds short and ineligible to raise the title. The victory improves the 25-year-old, one-time defeated contender from Victorville, Calif., to 25-1, 20 KOs, and secures his second straight win.
“My left hook is my left hook, you know what I’m saying,” Garcia said after the fight. “It’s a blessing from God. So even if I land it, it can’t make you out or down.”
“You guys eat too much of everything, you guys hate me because I’m cute and I’m a fucked up guy. At the end of the day, I’ve been boxing all my life and what I do is All I want to do is love and help my children, but you completely hated me. You don’t love the truth. The truth is right in front of you. I’m willing to put my terrible reputation on the line for the sake of my children, and everyone is silent except for me.”
“After that, I knew I was in control.” [knockdown], It’s hard to recover from the big guys. And maybe my conditioning wasn’t the best, but at the end of the day, I was able to get the job done. ”
When asked if he would face Haney in a rematch, Garcia said, “Yeah, let’s do it again.”
Davin Haney: Of course he would fight back against me.
If Devin Haney wins, he could retain the belt and make his first successful defense. With the loss, the 25-year-old from the Bay Area fell to 31-1, 15 KOs, and notched the first loss of his career.
“I’m disappointed in my performance,” Haney said. “But I was convinced that I was a true champion and that I could fight even after being knocked down and injured.”
“I was more surprised than hurt. It didn’t hurt that much the first time, but I was more surprised. When I said I was going in there, he jumped on me and said he would. As if I knew, but I was just asleep.”
When asked about a rematch, Haney said, “Of course.” “I still thought it was a close fight. I gave him a chance and I would love to have a rematch. It makes sense for him to give me a shot.”
“He didn’t make weight, so I’m still the champion and we can get it back.”
Get the full Haney vs. Garcia fight card results.
