Ryan Garcia: Stratigic genius or cheating opportunist?
Ryan Garcia should be the WBC Super Lightweight champion. His majority decision win over Devin Haney, dropping him three times, was a majestic performance of power and precision at Brooklyn’s Barclays Centre in New York City.
However, due to missing weight by three pounds, the WBC lightweight belt was no longer on the line for Garcia. But when I sit back and think about it. I believe Ryan Garcia never wanted to win the WBC lightweight title.
I believe he knew he could not make 140-pounds, and even when Garcia accepted Haney’s bet of paying $500 for every pound he was over, eventually becoming $1.5m. It’s money well spent for the result.
It was a deliberate gamble, a calculated risk, and the money was just the price he was willing to pay for the outcome he was expecting.
You have to know the nuances and intricacies of championship boxing. The issue isn’t simply about being 3 lbs overweight, although some may think that’s inconsequential.
In normal circumstances, it’s nothing, but combat sports and, more importantly, championship fights, this could make all the difference. There is a reason why there are weight limits in boxing.
In combat sports, athletes are often trying to find that extra edge and advantage over their opponents, some even risking their health, because, in top-class sports, the end generally justifies the means.
I believe Ryan Garcia knew those few extra pounds, combined with not killing himself trying to make 140, would make a huge difference.
In turn, Haney, whose been accused of being a “weight bully” in the past. Walks around much heavier than the 140-pound super lightweight limit and rehydrates significantly, would have been putting in that extra work to make 140.
All of Garcia’s antics leading up to the fight made Haney believe Garcia was not taking the fight seriously or was duly distracted. So, when Garcia weighed in 3 lbs over the limit. It made sense to Haney,
He underestimated how big, strong and hard Garcia would punch with those extra pounds. He assumed being over the limit was down to Garcia’s poor training, lack of discipline and focus.
These advantages played out in the fight. Although Haney boxed well at times, Garcia’s power was evident right from the beginning, catching and rocking Haney early in the first round.
During the middle rounds, Haney appeared to be getting to grips of Garcia and backed him up, but he lacked the power to really hurt Garcia.
Garcia then took over, dropping Haney in the seventh, tenth and eleventh rounds for a memorable victory.
Garcia will now move up to welterweight after beating the previously unbeaten Devin Haney, albeit having come into the fight overweight. However, his dominant performance will live long in the memory, and the issue of being overweight will probably become a sidenote.
Many will consider this the ultimate troll move and take their hats off to Garcia, who played the mind games to perfection. He then followed it with a performance of a lifetime.
However, for others, it may leave a bad taste in the mouth, regardless of the performance. It’s a fact that coming into the fight overweight is technically cheating to gain an unfair advantage.
