Garcia vs Haney LIVE: Latest fight updates and results as King Ryan wins majority decision

Ryan Garcia shocked the boxing world by scoring a majority-decision win over Devin Haney on Saturday, dropping the super-lightweight champion four times en route to victory.

Garcia was ineligible to win the WBC belt after missing weight by three pounds on Saturday, and fans had expressed concern for the 25-year-old’s mental health due to his recent behaviour online, but “King Ryan” triumphed in stunning fashion in Brooklyn.

The American hurt his compatriot in the first minute of the fight, landing a clean left hook, and that signature punch caused Haney trouble throughout the bout, putting the “Dream” down in rounds seven and 11. Between those knockdowns, Garcia dropped Haney, 25, with a right hand in round 10, and those moments were enough to seal the victory.

Garcia was far from flawless, however, suffering a point deduction for punching on the break in round seven, and repeatedly turning his back on Haney as the fight progressed.

Haney, in typical fashion, also controlled stretches of the bout with his jab, but Garcia’s moments of brilliance were enough to see him win 114-110 and 115-109 on two scorecards, while the other read 112-112.

After two months of disturbing behaviour, there were 12 rounds of quality from Ryan Garcia in a fight that divided boxing.

Garcia dropped Devin Haney three times to win their fight at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York, on two of the three scorecards. Haney’s WBC super-lightweight belt was not on the line late on Saturday night; Garcia, in what was viewed as a final act of his crazy pre-fight antics, weighed in three pounds over the limit. Haney lost on points, but still left the ring as the WBC champion. The failure at the weight was a tactic and not the latest crazy act of a damaged fighter.

Before the first bell Garcia was forced to undergo psychiatric testing, forced to prove he was not damaged and forced to defend himself against a series of outrageous claims. There were many in the old sport who called for the fight to be cancelled and for Garcia to go and get some help with his mental health issues. Garcia’s perceived public breakdown became the story of the fight; in private, he just got down to business.

It was the fight of his young life in the ring, and he happily turned it into a fight for his sanity away from the ring.

Comment:

Haney, who has been beaten for the first time: “I’m disappointed with my performance, but I showed that I can fight after a knockdown and getting hurt.

“I fell asleep on the left hook. I was more surprised than hurt the first time [...] I would love a rematch. I gave him a shot, it’s only right he gives me a shot back. He didn’t make weight, so I’m still the champion. We can run it back.”