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By: Sean Crose
Devin Haney took a beating from Ryan Garcia Saturday night at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. That wasn’t how things were supposed to have turned out. Garcia, who had been acting bizarrely in the leadup to the fight, missed weight by a whopping three plus pounds and came across as not taking the bout seriously. Suffice to say, Garcia surprised a whole lot of people when he knocked Haney down three times on his way to a majority decision win. With that being said, the strange, powerful, enormously talented Garcia is now the biggest thing in boxing – at least for the time being.
What about Haney, though? Most had assumed it would be him, and not Garcia, who would be the biggest thing in boxing walking away from this past weekend. Where did he go wrong on Saturday – or was there nothing he could do to stop the lightning fast howitzers Garcia repeatedly sent his way throughout the fight? Even before the opening bell, the man didn’t look great. Unlike Garcia, Haney made the weight cut – a move which indeed may have hurt his chances against Garcia in the ring. Haney also made the mistake – odd for him – of allowing himself to be hit by Garcia. Even when retreating when hurt, Haney went straight back, leaving himself vulnerable for attack.
Was there more to it than that, however? Did Garcia’s strange actions leading up to the fight somehow make their way inside Haney’s mind? If so, it wouldn’t be the first time such a thing has happened in the leadup to a professional boxing match. It was said Muhammad Ali (then still Cassius Clay) got inside heavyweight champion Sonny Liston’s head but good before Ali dethroned the defending champion back in 1964. Going back even further, “Two Ton” Tony Galento did such a good job getting himself inside Joe Louis’ head that Luis even admitted it. Perhaps that’s why Galento was able to drop Louis in their 1939 title bout (Louis got off the canvas and went on to win).
No one can really say what kind of impact Garcia had on Haney’s performance Saturday night. He didn’t look like the masterful Haney people are used to seeing, however, not by a long shot. While no one would argue Garcia didn’t have more power than Haney, it was still surprising to see how much more power he had. Could it be that in the midst of the fight’s chaotic leadup, Haney somehow lost focus? Or could it be Haney simply fell victim to his own overconfidence? Or could it be that, in the end, Garcia was simply all around a far superior fighter?
Should a rematch between the two men go-down, those questions might well be answered.
