A good left hook can take a fighter a long way. Even if his skill set is limited. Even if he’s crazy.
Ryan Garcia was as good in the ring on Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn as he was whacky leading up to his fight against Devin Haney, putting the 140-pound champ down three times and winning a stunning majority decision in a wild fight.
Garcia didn’t win the title because he came in 3.2 pounds over the limit but he made an enormous statement, one that lifted him to the next level of stardom.
Compilation of Ryan Garcia Knocking down Devin Haney three different times ☠️???? pic.twitter.com/iGYP5V9bMa
— Best Vidz ????‼️ (@live__vidz) April 21, 2024
The result is shocking given that many knowledgeable observers feared for Garcia’s safety because of his bizarre behavior and the ability of Haney, who had knocked off a series of elite opponents to climb onto pound-for-pound lists.
However, Garcia made it clear that he was a legitimate threat to Haney in the opening seconds of the fight, when he landed his feared left hook and sent Haney stumbling backward. A genuine fight was on.
Haney (31-1, 15 KOs) recovered by he final minute of the first round and outboxed Garcia (25-1, 20 KOs) over the next several rounds, fighting behind his jab, feinting to keep Garcia off balance and landing enough power shots to build a lead.
He even stalked Garcia much of the first two thirds of fight, forcing Garcia to take a defensive posture. It wasn’t a good look for him.
However, there was a method to this madness: He just waited until he saw openings. And then he pounced. That strategy and the power in his left hand ultimately made the difference in a thrilling fight.
The drama began to hit a crescendo in Round 7, when Garcia put Haney down with a left hook and tried to finish the job. Then he made a significant mistake, punching on the break. That prompted referee Harvey Dock to dock him a point.
That didn’t matter in the end because Haney still couldn’t avoid Garcia’s left hooks.
“I knew I had control after that,” Garcia said afterward. “It’s hard to recover after big shots. Maybe my conditioning wasn’t the best but I got the job done.”
Garcia put Haney down a second time by capping a flurry of hard shots with another left hook. And he rocked the champion with his signature punch with about a minute to go, although this time he managed to stay on his feet.
Haney hit the canvas one more time in Round 11, from, you guessed it, one more left hook with about a minute left on the clock. Haney got up but his legs were shot and so was his confidence.
Garcia didn’t finish the fight with a flurry, instead largely cruising in the final round. The most interesting thing he did was serve up some dance moves and stick out his tongue to taunt Haney. However, he had an insurmountable lead at that point.
He had done what many thought was nearly impossible, defeating a boxing wizard by a decision. The official scores were 115-109, 114-110 and 112-112. Boxing Junkie also scored it 114-110 for Garcia.
And it all came down to the left hook.
“My left hook is my left hook,” Garcia said afterward. “… I was blessed by God. When it lands, it can put you out or down.”
The loss cost Haney his WBC, which now becomes vacant. More important, it brought his momentum to a crashing halt. Talk of greatness before the fight must now give way to a rebuilding process.
There wasn’t much he could say afterward.
“I’m disappointed in my performance,” he said. “I showed I was a true champion, fighting after being knocked down and hurt.”
Garcia was asked whether he would give Haney a rematch. He didn’t hesitate to say, “Yeah, let’s run it back.” And Haney made it clear that a second fight with Garcia tops his priority list. “Of course. I thought it was a close fight. I gave him a shot. It’s only right to give me a shot back.”
The fans wouldn’t complain.
