Ryan Garcia knocked out welterweight champion Devin Haney on Saturday in Brooklyn, N.Y., capping off a wild night for the promotion and boxing and making the entire event unpredictable from start to finish. As the situation calms down, we ask our staff to weigh in on the war and its implications.
Tris Dixon: What happened? When I say “only,” I mean the last eight weeks. I still don’t know if I should believe what I saw – if Garcia needs a psychological exam, or if I need one now! In addition to the fact that he lost weight, which was a big mistake, but it seems to have disappeared, you have to thank Garcia for what he did with Devin Haney. However, Haney later claimed he was guilty of sleeping on Garcia’s left hook. This is just as unprofessional. This is Garcia’s most famous hit. You’re always like a hero when their best plans don’t work out, but of course, Garcia said this. He was previously criticized for his move to the gatekeeper role, and while he may not deserve the “face of boxing” label some have given him, he has quickly returned to the limelight. as a major player and is listed for the majors. fight. How much did the extra 3.2 pounds help Haney when he was still tired and fatigued after 24 hours of warm-up and exertion?
But honestly, I’m glad this storm is over.
David Greisman: Garcia will be criticized by some, but he still got the official win, which means he has more opportunities. The question is what those opportunities are. Garcia has said he can’t make it to 140 pounds, and I don’t think many junior welterweights would take a chance on Garcia making weight again. We still don’t know how Garcia will do at welterweight, although I’m very curious.
As for Haney, there are a lot of unanswered questions until we see him face another junior welterweight. The good news for Haney is that he still has his world title and there are a lot of 140 year old guys who want to fight him, now that he’s down, they might be even more interested. to fight him.
BoxingScene Roundtable: Devin Haney-Ryan Garcia Staff Reactions https://t.co/jEJmuD1H49
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Manouk Akopyan: Garcia was given the opportunity to beat Haney and he proved that the only hope was to dominate his opponent in a way that no one would believe. Garcia came into the fight looking like a train wreck but eventually knocked Haney off the rails and dropped him three times with a left hook. Garcia moved up, but his victory came with an asterisk as he moved up in weight. “Why do I force myself to gain weight to make me weak? No, I’m here to win. That’s all,” said Garcia unrepentantly on Friday.
Garcia paid dearly for the move he planned (he reportedly paid Haney $1.5 million) and lost the chance to win his first world title. Yes, he won and became the leader. But his acting career was marred by a cunning plan. Winning at all costs does not mean creating unfair competition.
Lucas Ketelle: Sometimes, things happen that we don’t expect. It happened last night. A star was born, Conor McGregor claimed when he defeated Jose Aldo in another popular combat sports tournament nearly a decade ago. That’s not the point of the movie, Garcia made it happen.
Kieran Mulvaney: Yeah, I’ll be a skunk at the party. Garcia had a great fight, a great fighter, and he deserves a big payday. But in the backlash from several advocacy groups, one came back: No, that’s not to say Garcia is “misguided,” and not to say the media voicing his concerns should be applauded. Just because he didn’t get into a belly-to-the-canvas position and start singing “There’s a Pain in My Wooden Stomach,” doesn’t mean Garcia isn’t good; He really needs people around him to take care of him, maybe right now.
Moreover, the preparations for this war were brutal. In such a violent sport, it is easy to accept comments about wanting to kill opponents. Don’t forget that Garcia ignored the weight restrictions specified in his contract. Yes, it’s a good night for boxing, but I don’t think boxing should be. JOHN EVANS: Garcia is coming off an impressive win and has calmed down after the fight. Garcia may have been behind the scenes since the fight was announced, but a weight loss of that magnitude is very real and should not be overlooked.
Only Haney knows if he was intimidated by Garcia’s actions before the fight or confused by his speed and strength. However, after his confidence with Regis Progres, Haney had a different attitude towards Garcia.
We’ve been waiting a long time for America’s lightest generation to start mixing things up, but they’re starting to make the drama we’ve been waiting for. Owen Lewis: I’m mad right now. As far as I know, even before the social media meltdown, Garcia didn’t stand up to Haney calmly and decisively. In my first column on The Boxing Show, I criticized the fight and wanted Gervonta Davis, Teofimo Lopez or Shakur Stevenson to face Haney. I’m surprised at how strong Garcia’s left hook is, because he hasn’t really hurt a Class A opponent.
Kudos to Garcia – his amazing win doesn’t mean he doesn’t need mental health help – for proving me completely wrong about everything. Haney’s jaw is cracked (the assist and asterisk go to Garcia because of his weight), but what’s more surprising is that Haney’s defensive tone can’t find a way to avoid the nasty left hook. “The Dream” now faces the biggest reality test of his young career.
Jason Langendorff: Shock and Awe. The fight continued to take our breath away after a fire broke out in a health care facility during the campaign. Of course, Garcia’s dominance has been bad in every fight, and we’ve seen Haney rock like Jorge Linares’ grandfather. But I can definitely say that I didn’t see this coming. But the real question: Why didn’t Haney do it?
As former 154-pound titleholder Ishe Smith took to his Zombie Twitter account shortly after the fight, why didn’t Team Haney have a clearer, more obvious plan for beating Garcia?
I expected Garcia to retire after all of this, but his win makes 140 (and beyond) much better. As a boxing fan, my only concern is if other boxers are encouraged to substitute substance for appearance, abuse the ranking system, and act recklessly.
