On Friday, April 19, a drama-filled build-up continued for Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) and Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs), as both look to settle their long-standing rivalry from the amateurs, which currently stands at 3-3. News broke quickly regarding “Kingry” weighing 143.2 pounds, 3.2 pounds over the contracted limit.
Drama Continued to Plague Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia
Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia Controversy
The build-up to Ryan Garcia vs. Devin Haney has been plagued by numerous social media posts by “Kingry,” which have ranged from conspiracy theories to posts seemingly suggesting a possible breakdown. At the final press conference on April 18, both fighters shook on an extraordinary bet of $500,000 per pound on whether Garcia would come in overweight.
Following the reveal by “The Dream” via his X account that: “Ryan honored the 500k per pound,” it’s still difficult to say with confidence that tomorrow night’s fight will continue as planned.
Garcia has seemingly made light of the missed weight by posting on his X account: “My balls got to heavy And back gained to much muscle from carrying the promo And my fingers got stronger from all the tweets damn.”
In a further post, “Kingry” appeared to make light of the missed weight again: “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.”
The Fight Is On
Golden Boy Promotions have released a statement assuring the boxing world that the fight is still on: “Ryan has weighed in over his contractural weight. He will honor the handshake made at the final press conference yesterday. We have a fight.”
Whether the fight should be going ahead is another question, and legendary trainer Buddy McGirt has recently had his say on the April 20 bout: “I don’t even wanna talk about that fight, I don’t think that fight should even be taking place,” McGirt said. “I’m surprised that the New York commission is allowing that to happen. All the stuff that Garcia has been going through mentally; he should not be fighting right now. It’s deeper than one thing, it’s on the surface right now – I could be wrong.”
It’s difficult to look past a resounding win for “The Dream.” He has handled this unusual build-up well, considering the actions of his opponent. Haney will use his exceptional jab and lateral movement to systematically beat down Garcia in a similar display as against Regis Prograis.
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