Ryan Garcia stunned the boxing world when he beat Devin Haney by majority decision in Brooklyn.
The California native turned in a dominant performance that included three knockdowns of the WBC junior welterweight champion.
It was a result that almost no one foresaw, Haney has been almost untouchable during his professional career that boasted 31 victories and no defeats until this fight.
Add in Garcia’s troubles before the fight and it seemed to be a perfect storm for another Haney win.
But, as some may have expected, it was a chaotic event with a surprising ending but, one that may be largely immaterial as Haney still left the Barclays Center with his WBC junior welterweight title in tow.
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Ryan Garcia pulled off the upset win over Devin Haney by majority decision
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Devin Haney suffered three knockdowns throughout the fight
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It was a frustrating night for Haney who suffered his first career defeat
It will be a real source of frustration for fight fans and one would imagine Garcia too, who hasn’t been crowned champion through his own doing.
At the pre-fight press conference there was already concerns about ‘King Ryan’s’ weight, but he tried to allay those fears by promising his opponent that he would pay him $500,000 for ever pound he was over the weight limit.
Come Friday’s weigh-ins, those worried about whether the challenger would make weight would be proven right.
He would miss the 140lb weight limit by coming in at 143.2lbs a full 3.2lbs overweight.
That meant that not only will he be paying Devin Haney $1.5m based on their press conference bet, but that Garcia would forfeit his chance at winning the title.
It seemed to be an issue that the would-be challenger seemed to be totally unphased by as he took to twitter to joke about the missed weight.
He tweeted: ‘I don’t know. 3 pounds is nothing stop crying. I feel great and I got a 3 pound advantage.
‘Let’s gooo hahahahaa Winners do what they have to do I’m still sharp.’
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Ryan Garcia weighed in at 143.2lbs a full 3.2lbs over the agreed weight limit and so lost out on his title shot
And a winner Garcia was after the majority decision with one judge scoring the fight 112-112 but he was overruled by the other judges scorecards of 114-110 and 115-109.
Devin Haney will of course be disappointed by the result, but he will still head home to regroup with his world championship.
How Ryan Garcia beat Devin Haney
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Ryan Garcia picked up the win after the three judges scored it 112-112, 115-109, 114-110
It was a chaotic night that saw the DJ begin to blare music and a camera man climb between the ropes with a minute left of round seven as referee Harvey Dock began to lose control.
Bedlam had broken out at Barclays Center. Just as many had predicted. In round seven Haney was on the floor and no one – not that cameraman, not the DJ – seemed entirely sure what was unfolding. By round 11, Haney had hit the deck again and Garcia was celebrating atop the turnbuckle.
As the final bell approached, Garcia was shuffling his shoulders, shaking his knees and flashing his tongue at Haney. He had secured three knockdowns, seen a couple more waved off, and had had a point deducted by the referee. The pro-Haney crowd had shifted their allegiance. And yet? Uncertainty lingered.
This is boxing and this was a bonkers fight when Garcia fought only in sparing, devastating flashes.All of which made the scorecards difficult to predict. Between the chaos, there was plenty of chess, when Haney seemed in control but nothing much happened at all.
In the end, one judge couldn’t separate them but the other two had Garcia by four points and six points to Garcia. After a promotion which left a stain on boxing, these two put on a glorious reminder of boxing’s best.
