Ryan Garcia Posts 'FEAR THE KING' with Photo Taunting Devin ...
Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images
Ryan Garcia pulled off a major upset of Devin Haney on Saturday night, beating him by majority decision at Brooklyn's Barclays Center after knocking him down three times throughout the fight.
Because Garcia missed weight, he wasn't eligible to claim Haney's WBC junior welterweight title. So he crowned himself on social media instead:
FEAR THE KING <a href="https://t.co/pogoQxoxXb">pic.twitter.com/pogoQxoxXb</a>
Garcia vs. Haney featured a heated and at times bizarre lead-up and promotional period, culminated by the eventual winner appearing to chug a beer during his weigh-in.
Ryan Garcia chugs a beer while missing weight -143.5 lbs <a href="https://t.co/DmvmORHRKa">pic.twitter.com/DmvmORHRKa</a>
"I don't give a f--k what people say about me. I walked through the fire and still held it down and still beat f--king Devin Haney and still drink every day," he told reporters. "Not necessarily am I proud of that, but I'm just saying it was a statement to show you, you guys can't really f--k with me."
Missing weight did cost him, however—the two boxers reportedly made a bet that Garcia would pay Haney $500,000 for every pound he was over the 140-pound weight class, per ESPN's Mike Coppinger. Garcia ultimately came in at 143.2 pounds, meaning he owed Haney $1.5 million. Per that report, Haney confirmed that Garcia made good on the bet.
That came on top of a $600,000 penalty for missing weight.
In the ring, Garcia pushed to the center and took the fight to Haney, turning it into a slugfest. He hurt Haney early with a left hook, a punch that consistently tagged him.
Sweet Chin Music ????<br><br>Here are all 3 knockdowns <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanGarcia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RyanGarcia</a> delivered to <a href="https://twitter.com/Realdevinhaney?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Realdevinhaney</a> to secure the win.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HaneyGarcia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HaneyGarcia</a> <a href="https://t.co/18obAwynEE">pic.twitter.com/18obAwynEE</a>
"He caught me early when I was sleeping on it," Haney told reporters regarding the punch. "He caught me by surprise. I fell asleep on the left hook. We trained for it, but I fell asleep and he caught me with it."
A rematch seems likely, and certainly would be a huge event. Either way, Garcia earned his crown on Saturday night.
