Ryan Garcia may have pulled off the biggest troll job in martial arts history.
After exhibiting nothing but strange behavior in the weeks leading up to his bout with Devin Haney, the 25-year-old California native entered the ring Saturday night as a huge underdog, and most expected him to I expected it to blow away. What unfolded was nothing short of an incredible performance, with Garcia winning by majority decision before being brutally knocked down three times, handing Haney the first loss of his professional career.
The final scorecards were 115-109, 114-110, 112-112, giving Garcia the credit and the biggest win of his career.
Garcia then appeared to say that the joke was aimed at anyone who dared to doubt him.
“Come on, guys, do you really think I’m crazy?” Garcia exclaimed after the win. “My left hook is my left hook. It’s a blessing from God. Every time I land it, you could be out or down. You guys hate me because I’m cute and shit. That’s it. Shit. The truth is right in front of you.”
There were moments when Garcia almost sleepwalked during the round, but when he finally exploded and caught up, Haney had no answer for the force on his jaw.
Promising a fast start, Garcia came out throwing bombs, landing a huge left hook that rocked Haney in the first exchange of fights. With help from Haney, Garcia continued to attack, throwing punches in hopes of hurting the undefeated champion.
Haney eventually regained his composure and returned to the center of the ring, while Garcia calmed down after the initial adrenaline rush. Replays after the opening round showed Haney’s eyes rolling in his head after the first punch landed, but he never came down to the canvas.
Despite a tough start, Haney fearlessly moved forward in the next few rounds, establishing a deft lead jab and using feints to make Garcia miss with wild haymakers. Midway through the third round, Haney hit Garcia with a stiff left hand of his own, briefly staggering Garcia and bringing the Brooklyn crowd to its feet.
As time wore on, Haney controlled the rounds, walking Garcia and unleashing a series of fast combinations. Garcia seemed content to simply circle away and fire off the occasional bomb, but he was always one step behind Haney in the exchanges.
After refusing to actually throw a punch or engage, Garcia slipped through Haney’s defense in his sixth start and fired several shots in quick succession. Haney was briefly injured, but recovered and largely controlled the remaining rounds.
The momentum shifted again at the start of the seventh when Garcia threw more punches and another oversized left hook crushed Haney, knocking him to the canvas for the first time in his career. Haney remained on the rubber leg and tried to survive with Garcia in hot pursuit for the knockout.
Minutes later, as the referee tried to break up the combatants, Garcia threw a punch as the bout was paused. The referee deducted points for throwing a punch after Garcia called for a break, at least partially negating the knockdown that would have guaranteed Garcia a 10-8 round.
Despite the points deduction, Garcia knew the knockdown would change everything for Haney going forward.
“After that I knew I was in control,” Garcia said. “It’s hard to recover from a jackpot.”
Garcia’s power proved to be the difference-maker in the brief moments when Haney began to outsmart his opponent with a technical game plan. As the 10th round began, Garcia jumped forward and landed another big combination that dropped Haney to his knees again, knocking him down for the second time in the fight.
Haney got back to his feet, but a huge left hook from Garcia sent Haney to the canvas in the 11th round. Garcia began celebrating while Haney struggled to do anything more than survive until the bell.
By the end of the fight, Garcia was wagging his tongue and mocking Haney as the crowd roared in approval. What was supposed to be a crowning achievement for Haney turned into his worst nightmare as Garcia knocked him down three times in 12 rounds.
“I’m disappointed in my performance,” Haney said. “He caught me early when I was sleeping on it. I fell asleep with a left hook. He caught me as I fell asleep. Still a close fight. I thought so.”
Although Garcia celebrated the victory, he could not ignore that he was underweight by three pounds, which nullified his ability to win the title. Between that and Haney’s undefeated record thus far, there’s a good chance these two will meet again in the near future.
“Yeah, let’s put it back together,” Garcia said.
It may take some time for Haney to truly understand what just happened, but he already looked ready to answer the challenge.
“I would love to have a rematch,” Haney said. “I’m still the champion because he didn’t make weight. We can make it back up.”
