Sound the upset alarms. Ryan Garcia stunned rival Devin Haney with a majority decision win in a massive super lightweight matchup with the WBC champion at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Matchroom Boxing @MatchroomBoxingWith 3 knockdowns, Garcia gets it on the scorecards via MD!<br><br>112-112, 114-110, 115-109.<a href="">#HaneyGarcia</a> | <a href="">@DAZNBoxing</a> <a href="">
Garcia was a considerable underdog coming into the fight. But it didn't take long for him to show he was a live dog early in the fight.
He stung Haney with a left hook in the first round, causing his opponent and those following the fight live to sit up and take notice.
Claressa Gwoat Shields @ClaressashieldsHow the hell Ryan buzz Devin like that first rd!
Mike Coppinger @MikeCoppingerRyan Garcia buckles Devin Haney in the opening minute! Wow. Garcia comes out swinging to start the fight. Crowd on its feet. <a href="">#HaneyGarcia</a>
ShowtimeShawn Porter @ShowtimeShawnPI just predicted an early storm for Haney and there it was. More of that to come if Ryan gets aggressive again
Haney didn't let Garcia's first-round success keep him down, though. He popped right back in the second round with some adjustments. The champion threw Garcia off his rhythm with his jab and started to find a home for his right hand.
By the fourth round, Garcia's volume had tapered off and Haney started to cruise. He put Garcia on his back foot and started to take command of the scorecards.
Brian Campbell @BCampbellGarcia can't be effective unless he is pushing the pace and threatening with his left. Haney is showing the complete game to frustrate and limit him. That big left hook in R3 from Haney appears to still on the mind of Garcia. <a href="">#HaneyGarcia</a>
Just when it seemed like Haney was on cruise control in the seventh, things got really interesting quickly.
Garcia landed another clean left hook that floored Haney for the first time in his career. Haney was able to beat the count but was in clear trouble. He went down a few more times but the referee declared them slips. He also took a point away from Garcia for hitting on the break.
King Typo @BoxingBuschHaney out here hitting double leg takedowns. He is in serious trouble. Garcia unloading on him
Dan Rafael @DanRafael1Rd 7: 9-8 Garcia. He drops Haney but has a point docked. Haney legs gone in big trouble. <a href="">#boxing</a> <a href="">#HaneyGarcia</a>
The back and forth continued down the home stretch. Haney recovered from the lopsided Round 7 to make a good case to win Round 9, but Garcia once again caught him in the 10th and put him on the canvas.
Kevin Iole @KevinIGarcia takes 10th 10-8. It's now 94-93 Haney on my card heading into the championship rounds. Not sure Haney can go six more minutes, though. He's taking HUGE shots. <a href="">#HaneyGarcia</a>
Garcia put him down for the third time in the 11th:
Brian Campbell @BCampbellGarcia drops Haney again in R11! I don't believe what I'm seeing!!!! <a href="">#HaneyGarcia</a>
Garcia couldn't get the stoppage in the final round but it was clear that he had done the most damage and that ultimately helped him pull off the shocking upset.
This is easily the biggest win of Garcia's career, but it comes with a frustrating caveat. He won't come away with his first world title because he couldn't make the 140-pound limit on Friday. He missed weight by just over three pounds.
Instead, the two sides had to reach a new financial agreement that saved the fight. Garcia was forced to pay out extra money to his rival and Haney's championship belt was no longer on the line.
Garcia has recently been in the news for some erratic behavior ahead of the fight. His social media presence has been turbulent to say the least. On two occasions he vowed that he would only be promoting the fight on his social media accounts only to get off topic once again.
Regardless, Garcia was able to put those concerns aside for long enough to best Haney.
While he still isn't a world champion, he proved he can beat one. Garcia doesn't lack for confidence and actually already called out another opponent before this fight, letting the public know he'd like to go up another weight class to fight Sebastian Fundora.
Given his miscue at the scale, moving up might not be a bad idea. However, getting down to 140 pounds to actually take Haney's belt in a rematch just became a lot more interesting.
