NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 20: Devin Haney (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
There was no shortage of trash talk leading up to the battle between Devn Haney and Ryan Garcia.
When it was over, Garcia had the last laugh as the polarizing young star vanquished Haney via majority decision after dropping him three times on Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Were it not for him being penalized for punching on the break, Garcia would have won unanimously, as one judge scored the fight a draw.
Haney and his dad, Bill took to social media early on Sunday to address his fans, rumors of a broken jaw and his ability to absorb defeat, and he took a slight jab at Garcia for missing weight.
Here’s a short list of Devin’s posts on X.
Bill chose to use video as he went live to discuss Saturday night’s results, Garcia and Devin’s plans moving forward. He says him and Devin knew Garcia’s pre-fight antics and missing weight was a planned show.
According to the elder Haney, Devin wants a rematch.
The rematch is in doubt unless Haney wants to move up to 147 pounds. During the post-fight press conference, Garcia said he could not and would not attempt to fight at a weight class beneath 143 pounds.
He called making a weight that low “physically impossible.” This stance creates a problem for Haney, who is still the WBC Super Lightweight champion. Because Garcia missed weight, Haney’s title wasn’t on the line on Saturday night.
Haney may have to vacate his title at 140 pounds if he wants to chase a rematch with Garcia at 147 pounds, at least if the plan was to look for another fight with his rival immediately.
Haney has expressed a desire to become the undisputed champion at 140 pounds, as he was at 135 pounds. If that is still the goal, he may need to table his pursuit of a rematch with Garcia until he can unify the belts at 140 pounds.
The other champions at 140 pounds were undoubtedly watching Haney’s loss against Garcia. Teofimo Lopez (WBO), Subriel Matias (IBF), and Isaac Cruz (WBA) would be the fighters Haney has to chase if he wants to accomplish his undisputed goal.
In the immediate future, it appears Haney will “head back to the West Coast” so that he can recover physically and mentally from the loss to Garcia. At 25 years old, Haney still has plenty of time to rebound, but his stock as a fighter took a hit in the loss.
However, capturing another world title, perhaps before the end of the year, would go a long way toward pushing him back into the conversation of the sport’s top fighters.
