Devin Haney has broken his silence after being handed the first defeat of his career, insisting he ‘fought like a true champion’ despite being knocked down three times by Ryan Garcia.
Haney went into the Brooklyn bout 31-0 and heavy favorite to dispatch Garcia, who had endured a controversial build-up filled with bizarre social media rants and concerns over his mental health.
Incredibly, Garcia dropped Haney three times on his way to a majority decision victory, before celebrating by appearing to smoke cannabis in his dressing room.
Now, Haney has spoken out, insisting he is ‘100% ok’ and talking up a rematch with Garcia in the near future.
Posting on X, he wrote: ‘Alhamdulillah Allah is the perfect planner he makes no mistakes.. fought like a true champion. Got up off the canvas & kept fighting. I am 100% ok & would love to do it again while we both make weight.’
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Ryan Garcia stands over Devin Haney after knocking him to the canvas during their fight
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Garcia stunned the world to beat Haney, who asked for a rematch after his first career defeat
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Garcia was seen smoking marijuana in the Barclays Center locker rooms after beating Haney
Garcia also claimed post-fight that he had broken Haney’s jaw, with photos from inside the ring showing swelling around the mouth.
In a follow-up tweet, though, Haney pushed back on that: ‘I have [not] broken anything btw like I said I’m OK’.
He then posted a third message, adding: ‘Same way you dish be able to take it… I will be back InshaAllah.’
In the bout at Barclays Center in New York, scorecards of 112-112, 114-110 and 115-109 saw the decision go to Garcia, whose left hook proved devastating.
However, the Californian did not win Haney’s WBC light-welterweight title after missing weight for the contest.
Underdog Garcia made a blistering start to the contest, landing a left hook in the first minute to buckle Haney’s legs.
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Haney insisted that Garcia did not break his jaw, despite the winner’s claims after the fight
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Garcia knocked down Haney three times during their super-lightweight bout in Brooklyn, NY
Haney recovered and appeared to have control until he was sent to the canvas for the first time in his professional career in the seventh round.
Garcia continued his offensive despite having a point deducted for throwing a punch after the referee asked the boxers to break.
He sent Haney to the canvas twice more but both were ruled as non-knockdowns before flooring him again in the 10th and the 11th with left hooks.
Garcia was criticized for his behavior during the build-up to the fight, culminating in him coming in 3.2lbs overweight on Friday.
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Haney said he ‘fought like a true champion’ despite suffering the first defeat of his pro career
He’d previously agreed to pay Haney $500,000 for every pound he came in overweight – costing him a huge $1.5million.
His recent erratic tweets and behavior in fight week led many to question whether the contest should go ahead.
It began in March, when Garcia claimed he was dead after having his ‘throat slit’.
He got into a spat with an audience member at Thursday’s press conference after going on an expletive-laden rant with mothers and dogs and body parts all mentioned.
