Ryan Garcia enjoyed a very successful outing on Saturday night when he beat Devin Haney. Following a tense and at times concerning build-up to the fight, it was finally all worth it to see Garcia deliver on the night. However, despite a seemingly dominant victory, the scorecards tell a much different story.
For those unaware, Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney had their seventh showdown, the first on the big stage, at the Barclays Center in New York. With a lot of talk regarding Garcia’s mental wherewithal, the boxer debunked all the allegations against him, proving that he has what it takes to beat the best of the best. Not only did he beat Haney, but he made him look very vulnerable and beatable, something that many did not expect to see.
In the past, Haney has put in career-highlight performances against the likes of George Kambosos and Vasiliy Lomachenko. However, against Ryan Garcia, many felt that the 25-year-old was exposed for his tendencies and not having the power to match up against his long-time rival.
Do the scorecards hide Devin Haney’s shortcomings against Ryan Garcia?
Speaking about the fight itself, the power difference was apparent from the get-go when Ryan Garcia tagged Devin Haney with a stinging left hook in Round 1. Thereafter, Garcia continued to pile on the pressure, whilst Haney went for a much-measured approach. Throughout the fight, Haney relied on the jab to do the most work for him, however, his habit of clinching was the most apparent part of his game plan.
For the most part, Garcia had a more patient approach, waiting for the right opportunity to let loose with a power shot. As such, despite Haney having more strikes, everything ‘KingRy’ landed was much more threatening. As such, all Devin did was jab to the body and clinch whenever Ryan threw anything his way. As the fight progressed, Haney began relying on the clinch, more and more, falling back on it at every opportunity.
Ryan Garcia MD Devin Haney official judges’ scorecards… pic.twitter.com/ISP84dTsvs
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) April 21, 2024
Notably, Ryan scored three knockdowns in Rounds 7, 10, and 11, with Devin clinching on for dear life after each occasion. Not only that, but the referee, who allowed him a lot of time to recover, was also okay with the fighter trying to grapple in a boxing match. Eventually, the judges’ scorecards read 112-112, 114-110, and 115-109, a majority decision in favor of Garcia. Surprisingly, despite a horrific boxing performance, one judge gave Haney a draw.
Ryan Garcia was not as unlucky as Francis Ngannou against Tyson Fury
For the most part, it was clear that Ryan Garcia should have won the fight. Prior to the judges’ scorecards being announced, many were in awe as to how the fight had not been stopped already. As such, what many feared nearly came to fruition after judge Max DeLuca scored the contest 112-112 whilst the other two judges had it in Ryan’s favor, as it should have been.
Thus, the scorecards which were later revealed to the public, drew a lot of backlash as many were unhappy with how Devin Haney got so many rounds, despite clinching for most of the fight. Be it damage caused or the number of power shots landed, Garcia led the count through and through. Seeing what had conspired in the co-main event of the evening with Arnold Barboza Jr. vs. Sean McComb ending in a controversial split decision, many feared a similar fate for Garcia.
Similarly, we have also seen Francis Ngannou get robbed against Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia last year. Despite landing the more damaging shots and scoring a knockdown, the French-Cameroonian succumbed to a split-decision loss. Whilst many felt that Fury was protected by the Saudis, the fact that boxing as a sport is rife with calamitous judging is not news to anyone. As such, now more than ever, the people want a change in the clearly-flawed, scoring system.