Ryan Garcia won a majority decision victory over Devin Haney in a 12-round boxing match, but was ineligible to win the title due to exceeding the weight limit.
Ryan Garcia emerged victorious from “Game 7”. The grudge match against Devin Haney, held at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, was a nail-biter. They had a history, these two, having split a six-fight series as amateurs.
Saturday’s match was a wild ride, lasting 12 rounds. Garcia scored three knockdowns and had Haney on the ropes more than once. The final scores? 114-110 and 115-109, both in Garcia’s favor. But one judge called it a draw, 112-112.
Curious about the official scorecard? Check it out below.
Max DeLuca was the judge who scored the 112-112 draw. The other judges, Eric Marlinski and Robin Taylor, scored the bout for Garcia, 114-110 and 115-109 respectively.
Garcia’s knockdowns earned him a couple of 10-8 scores. In round 7, he got a 9-8 after a penalty for throwing punches post-referee’s break order.
But, oh boy, Garcia’s win wasn’t without controversy. He missed the weight limit by 3.2 pounds, coming in over the 140-pound limit. This was supposed to be a bout for the WBC super lightweight title, held by Haney. Garcia’s miss meant he couldn’t win the title, even though he won the match.
Mauricio Sulaiman, WBC President, confirmed this. Haney remains the WBC champ, despite the loss.
Sulaiman tweeted, “Congratulations to Ryan Garcia defying all obstacles and winning a huge fight. Congratulations to Devin Haney for showing his huge heart and class. Just as in Corrales vs Castillo 2, with the challenger not making weight, Haney remains WBC champion.”
After the match, both fighters seemed open to a rematch. But Garcia was clear about one thing – he’s not fighting below 143 pounds again.