A night full of wonders finally came to a close! A few hours ago, the exhilarating Ryan Garcia vs. Devin Haney event wrapped up, but not without keeping the fans on the edge of their seats the entire time. While the main event proved to be the highlight of the night, the undercards weren’t far behind with fiery exchanges and elite tier boxing. 

The handful of five main card fights showcased some incredibly intense battles, demonstrating that Oscar De La Hoya‘s organized events are truly impressive. Meanwhile, snippets and updates from the live event kept the buzz echoing throughout the night. From Garcia’s warning to Bill during the fight to the co-main event that left fans not so happy, here’s every little detail from the event, in case anyone missed it.

Path to the big one: Titles, pride and everything else that was on stake

Kick starting the event, Jamaican boxer Nathaniel Gallimore (22-8-1) squared off against rising star from Cleveland, Ohio, Charles Conwell (19-0) in a super welterweight bout. As the men met in the center of the ring after the first bell, a battle to dominate the fight ensued. However, the younger Conwell took charge after the third round and dispatched his opponent in the sixth round via technical knockout. 

Following the battle of the super welterweights, it was time for the fight to determine who would take home the vacant WBA interim super flyweight title. John ‘Scrappy’ Ramirez (13-1) from Los Angeles, California, went toe-to-toe with Cartago, Costa Rica’s David Jimenez (16-1). Despite the WBA’s No.1 super flyweight’s best efforts, Jimenez managed to pull off the win via unanimous decision. 

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What followed was the bloodiest battle of the night! Pierre Dibombe challenged Bektemir Melikuziev for his WBA intercontinental super middleweight title. After the first three rounds of head-to-head battle, Dibombe started taking heavy damage, which resulted in a cut opening up above his left eye. The same fate awaited Melikuziev, whose cut came because of an accidental head butt. So, the fight was stopped in the eighth round after the doctor’s intervention. Based on the performance thus far, Uzbekistan’s Melikuziev was awarded a technical knockout win. 

Following that was the penultimate fight of the evening, which ended with a disputed verdict, leaving a considerable number of spectators both at the venue and watching remotely, feeling appalled by the outcome. The 10-round super lightweight clash between Arnold Barboza Jr. and Sean McComb had Barboza’s WBO Inter-Continental super lightweight title on the line. After the final bell, it seemed like ‘The Public Nuisance’ had done enough to bag the belt, but in a surprising twist, the fight was awarded to the 32-year-old American.

Here are the heavy hitters: Ryan Garcia vs. Devin Haney

Even though the fight transpired in the ring on Saturday night 20 April, the story of Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney began months ago, which directly affected the results. Coming out of his victory against Oscar Duarte in December last year, Ryan Garcia was on the prowl for his next victim—he wanted it to be big. And boy, was it big! Garcia challenged Devin Haney, someone he had fought many times before entering the ring on Saturday. 

The duo had fought each other six times in the amateurs, collecting three wins each! So, it made their next encounter a sort of finale to once and for all decide who the superior fighter is. After straying away from the clash for a bit under Floyd Mayweather’s influence, Garcia went all in on the potential fight. Not just that! He adopted a technique to promote the fight that was never done before in the history of boxing, something which, looking at it now, may have affected Haney more than anyone realized. 

Ryan Garcia launched an attack of tweets, speaking about bizarre, erratic, defamatory, bordering insulting statements about anyone and everyone. Not even Devin Haney was spared! From unsubstantiated claims about children in Bohemian Groove to UFOs and conspiracy theories, Garcia’s plan was to convince everyone he has zero shot at winning. And he did exactly that! Whether it was a casual fan or a seasoned pundit, everyone was betting against the Victorville native. 

The critics and Haney went as far as to accuse Garcia of abusing drugs and alcohol. Even during the final weigh-ins, Garcia came in 3.2lbs heavier as he chugged a beer which later turned out to be apple juice and sparkling water. While he had to pay Haney $1.5 million as per their bet, Garcia knew what he was doing. And come fight night, it was time for vengeance! Garcia arrived at the venue with murder in his mind, something that was even printed on his shirt as he arrived. Even still, no one expected to see what they saw in the ring when the career rivals met. 

As the first bell rang, Garcia was on the offensive, pressing Haney on the back foot! And boom! Garcia landed the first power shot that rocked Haney to his core, giving a glimpse of what’s to come. Even though Haney recovered in the later rounds, switching things up on Garcia, the Victorville native handed Haney his first career knockdown in the seventh round. If it wasn’t for some fumbles from the referee, Garcia would have scored another.

However, Ryan Garcia had a well-defined strategy. Come tenth-round, Garcia dropped Haney again, bringing everyone present at the venue to their feet. Later in the round, Garcia caught Haney again with a left hook, but Haney survived another knockdown, but not for long. Soon, the eleventh round was afoot. 

That’s when Garcia started talking to Bill Haney, who was ringside to support his son. Garcia asked Bill to stop the fight, something Garcia had said he would do long before the fight started. However, Garcia’s plea fell on deaf ears, as the fight continued and went the distance. Garcia surprised Haney with yet another left hook and Haney went down for the third time as Garcia took the lead on Chris Mannix’s score card.

By not listening to Garcia, Bill Haney paid the price by letting his son go down for the third time in the fight. That was it. All Garcia had to do now was sit back and avoid shots from Haney in the final round. Something Garcia did expertly while taunting and mocking a tired and wobbly Haney. After all, Garcia had pulled off something that no one could have dreamt of. 

Post fight realization started setting in

After everything was said and done, Chris Mannix approached Garcia for the post-fight interview. When questioned about how he managed to defeat Devin despite all the odds against him, Garcia said, “God did! My heavenly father Jesus Christ, I give you all the glory. [I] couldn’t do it without you. I love you so much. Come on, God, you really thought I was crazy. You got lost your own mind.”

Many had criticized Garcia for being a one-trick pony, suggesting without his left hook, Garcia had nothing. So, Garcia said, “I mean, my left hook is my left hook. You understand what I’m saying. That’s blessed by God, so whenever I land it—it can’t put you out or down.” Moreover, when asked about the possibility of a rematch, Garcia clarified, “Yeah, let’s run it back.”

Meanwhile, when Devin Haney was asked about his thoughts on how the fight went down, Haney seemed disappointed with his performance. He said, “I’m disappointed with my performance, but I showed that I was, you know, a true champion and that I could fight after being knocked down and being hurt.”

When confronted with Garcia’s left hook, Haney said, “He caught me early when I was sleeping on it. He caught me by surprise. I fell asleep on the left hook. We trained for it, but I got in there and I fell asleep and he caught me with it.” Haney further added that he was aware of Garcia’s strategy to be aggressive, but Haney said, “I was just sleeping.”

When the possibility of a rematch was dangled in front of him, Haney explained, “Of course. I thought it was a close fight, I would love to [have a] rematch, I gave him a shot. It’s only right, he gives me a shot back.”

With that statement from Haney and Garcia, there’s no doubt there will be a rematch between the rivals. However, if tonight’s fight was any evidence, the future holds greatness for the Victorville native as he looks to run it back with Gervonta Davis potentially. What did you think about the event? Were you shocked by the results?