Ryan Garcia dramatically missed weight for his highly anticipated bout against Devin Haney, forfeiting his chance at the title and a $1.5 million bet. On the scales, Garcia weighed in at 143.2 lbs, a significant 3.2 lbs over the division's limit, just a day before their scheduled fight at the Barclays Center. Despite this setback, the fight will proceed but as a non-title bout, following a last-minute financial agreement between the two camps that shifts a portion of Garcia’s purse to Haney.
During the public weigh-in, Garcia’s actions added to the spectacle as he was seen drinking from a beer bottle, confirming his weight at 143.2 lbs while Haney weighed exactly 140 lbs. Garcia candidly remarked on his drink choice, claiming the beer was excellent and acknowledged the extreme efforts he made to meet the fight weight.
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In contrast, Haney criticized Garcia’s professionalism, hinting that this incident was just the beginning of potential issues. This event has intensified concerns about Garcia’s mental fitness and professionalism, overshadowing the fight’s promotion and casting doubts on his sportsmanship after Garcia hinted on social media that he never planned to meet the agreed weight limit.
Image Credit: DAZN