Under normal circumstances, the super lightweight fight between Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, is a potential classic.
Haney, the WBC super lightweight champion, is a masterful boxer. Garcia is equipped with power and speed. A pair of 25-year-old boxers in their prime capable of putting on a show worth of the pay-per-view price of $69.99.
But these are not normal circumstances.
In a bizarre buildup to the fight, scheduled for 12 rounds, Garcia has made outlandish claims — including that he conjured up demons and was at risk of being crucified.
“Ryan Garcia has fooled the people,’’ Haney’s father, Bill, said at the press conference Thursday.
But when Garcia’s behavior grew vulgar at the press conference, Devin Haney said, “Something’s wrong with this (expletive).’’
Not normal: On Friday, Garcia appeared to guzzle a beer at weigh-in and was 3.2 pounds overweight. Later, Garcia wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “Apple Juice and sparkling water HEHE.’’
Was it beer, or apple juice and sparking water? Is he fooling the people and setting up Haney for an upset loss, or is he suffering from mental health issues?
The answers may be clearer Saturday night, under strange circumstances. USA TODAY will provide all the latest updates, news and highlights from the bouts on the main card at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Follow along here.
What time is the Ryan Garcia-Devin Haney fight?
The main card starts at 8 p.m. ET. Ring walks for Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney are estimated to start at 11 p.m. ET.
How to watch Ryan Garcia vs. Devin Haney
The boxing match can be viewed on DAZN ($69.99 with a subscription) and PPV.com ($79.99, no subscription required).
Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia predictions
Predictions from select boxing writers and fighters:
Robert Segal, Boxing News 24: “Even if Haney is planning to fight in a toe-to-toe fight, once he tastes Ryan’s power, he’ll change his mind about that and revert to the safety-first style we saw him use in his last four fights.’’
- Prediction: Haney by a one-sided decision or late knockout
Lucky Ngamwajasat, Bleacher Report: “One punch can turn any fight and ‘King Ry’ definitely has the arsenal to catch Haney if he isn’t careful. However, the smart money here says Haney keeps Garcia at arm’s length and cruises to victory.
- Prediction: Haney by unanimous decision
Josh Peter, USA TODAY: ”With Ryan Garcia’s erratic behavior, I’m hoping for the best but expecting the worst.”
- Prediction: Haney wins after Garcia is DQ’d in the 8th round.
Claressa Shields told Fight Hub TV, “It’ll be entertaining. Like you’ll see Ryan go out there and be flashy and throw his combinations and be sharp and long and stuff. But I think that Devin is just the better boxer and he’ll be able to make Ryan run into some things and I think it’ll be a unanimous decision for Devin.”
Canelo Alvarez told Fight Hub TV he thinks Garcia will win “if he’s 100 percent.’’ But Alvarez also said, “The people around him need to help him. So, I feel a little sad for him because he needs to have a good person, good people around him.”
Shane Mosley told Fight Hype, “I would say Devin has the bigger advantage, meaning he’ll be able to outbox, move around and understand Ryan. But at the same time … Ryan does have a big left hook and a big punch.”
Shawn Porter said of Garcia on his podcast, “I think he’s going to come to the ring comfortable against Devin, confident against Devin. You got (trainer) Derrick James in the corner now, so they’re working fundamentals and basics.”
Adrien Broner said, “My brother say he got a $1 million that Devin win this fight tonight. And if I had money like I had back in the day, I’d probably put my $1 million with H too. But taking that I only got $13, I like Ryan for the knockout. I like my odds. I got to triple this (expletive) up.
Darius Fulghum def. Cristian Olivas by TKO
Fulghum, who has a nursing degree from Prairie View A&M, is focusing on his boxing career and it’s paying off.
He pounded Olivas with a barrage of punches and a flurry in the fourth round led the referee to wave off the super middleweight fight.
Fulghum, 27, improved to 11-0. Olivas, 32, fell to 22-11.
Jonathan Canas def. Markus Bowes by unanimous decision
Canas, a 6-foot righty, capitalized on his reach advantage against the 5-6 Bowes. Not only did Canas, 22, use his jab effectively, but he also landed plenty of strong rights in their four-round super lightweight bout.
Canas improved to 4-0 and Bowes fell to 2-6.
Amari Jones def. Armel Mbumba-Yassa by TKO
Jones, part of Devin Haney’s stable, knocked Mbumba-Yassa in the sixth round. Soon after the referee later waved off the Super Middleweight fight that Jones dominated from the outset.
Jones, 31, improved to 12-0. Mbumba-Yassa, a native of The Republic of the Congo who had fought only 13 days earlier, fell to 10-2-1.
Who decides if Ryan Garcia is mentally fit to fight?
Whether Ryan Garcia is mentally fit to fight Haney ultimately is a matter for the New York State Athletic Commission to decide. And this week, as Garcia’s erratic behavior has continued, well regarded boxing analyst Teddy Atlas said he was “disappointed” with the state athletic commission.
“There’s only one reason we have commissions, to ensure the welfare and health of a fighter going into a ring, to make sure that mentally and physically, they are of good, sound mind and body,” Atlas said on his podcast, “The Fight with Teddy Atlas.” “I don’t know that you can say that about Garcia if you didn’t evaluate him with the right people.”
Garcia has said he underwent psychological evaluation and passed.
In a statement provided to USA TODAY Sports, the commission said it will not comment on “the specific medical testing and evaluations of any particular person.”
The commission also said it “has broad authority to assess the medical fitness of professional athletes (mental and physical health included), and engages in a thorough case-by-case due diligence process with every professional athlete based on their personal medical history and circumstances prior to their participation in competition. No match is held until the professional athletes are found medically fit for competition.”
Kevin Newman II def. Eric Robles by TKO
With Roy Jones Jr. in his corner, Newman scored a TKO in the fourth round of their cruiserweight bout.
Newman dropped Robles with a flurry of punches earlier in the fourth round, then landed a hard right that left Robles on his knees. The referee promptly waved off the fight.
Newman, 32, improved to 15-3-1 and Robles, 32, of Mexico fell to 9-4.
How much does Ryan Garcia weigh?
At the weigh-in on Friday, as Ryan Garcia stepped on the scale, he guzzled what appeared to be a beer. On a video he shared on X, formerly Twitter, Garcia wrote that it was “100 percent worth it.” But he later posted a message that said, “Apple Juice and sparkling water HEHE.”
What was indisputable: Garcia weighed in at 143.2 pounds.
There was no such drama with Devin Haney, who weighed in at 140 pounds.
And because the two boxers made a pre-fight bet – Each would owe the other $500,000 for every pound they were over the 140-pound contracted weight – Haney found himself $1.5 million richer.
Shamar Canal def. Pedro Borgaro by unanimous decision
Trained by Devin Haney’s father, Canal knocked down Borgaro in the third round and was in control throughout the six-round, lightweight fight.
Canal, 21 and signed to Devin Haney Promotions, improved to 8-0. Borgaro, an 18-year-old from Mexico, fell to 7-2.
Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia full card
Here are the bouts on the main card:
≻ Arnold Barboza Jr. vs. Sean McComb, co-main, WBO Inter-Continental Super Lightweight, 10 rounds
≻ Bektemir Melikuziev vs. Pierre Dibombe, WBA Inter-Continental Super Middleweight, 10 rounds
≻ John Ramirez vs. David Jimenez, WBA Interim World Super Flyweight, 12 rounds
≻ Charles Conwell vs. Nathaniel Gallimore, Super Welterweight, 12 rounds
What are the win-loss records for Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney?
≻ Ryan Garcia: 24-1 with 20 KO’s
≻ Devin Haney: 31-0 with 15 KO’s
Tickets for Garcia vs. Haney fight
As of Friday night, tickets for the fight at Barclays Center were available for $112 and up on Stubhub before fees.
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