Ryan Garcia shockingly dealt Devin Haney the first loss of his career Saturday night, knocking him down three times en route to a majority decision win.
Garcia set the tone of the fight early, tagging Haney with his patented left hook in the opening minute of the fight, and later used the same punch to drop Haney in the seventh, 10th, and 11th rounds.
Haney (31-1, 15 KOs) won rounds two through five across the scorecards, but Garcia (25-1, 20 KOs) had a dominant resurgence during the second half of the fight.
Two judges had it scored 115-109 and 114-110 in favor of Garcia, while a third had it 112-112.
Garcia connected with 106 punches – 96 of them power punches – while Haney answered with 87 – with just 45 being power punches.
Haney’s face was swollen in the aftermath, leaving many wondering if he had absorbed serious injuries.
Haney did not address the media during the post-fight press conference, but he took to social media to quell concerns.
“Fought like a true champion. Got up off the canvas and kept fighting. I am 100% OK and would love to do it again while we both make weight,” said Haney. “I have no broken anything … Same way you dish, [you have to] be able to take it. I will be back.”
Haney is still the WBC super lightweight champion because Garcia blew weight by 3.2 pounds and was not eligible to win the belt.
If a rematch were to take place, a weight would need to be negotiated, as Garcia insisted after the fight that he’s moving up to welterweight for his next fight.
Haney’s father, trainer, and manager Bill took to social media on Sunday morning looking for a rematch as well.
“We turn losses into lessons and then turn them into blessings,” said Bill Haney. “I did always say that I believed Ryan Garcia was a good fighter. We were 3-3 with him [in the amateurs]. I think he’s an even better influencer because he fooled you guys into thinking he was crazy [with his pre-fight antics]. I knew that he wasn’t crazy. It was a good fight. But you know, we have to take it in stride. We definitely want a rematch.
“We’re going to hold our head up high, chests out, chin up. That’s what it means to be a Haney.
“We don’t carry any excuses. We were able to accomplish some amazing things in the sport, and we are still going to continue to accomplish more amazing things. We’re going to keep on pushing. Ain’t nothing wrong with having a bruised ego if it’s going to push you to your greatness. So we accept this.
“He came in overweight as well. He had a good game plan, inside and outside of the ring. You can’t take that away from him.
“Thank you for making it a successful night. That was great for boxing.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.