Boxing analyst Tim Bradley believes Ryan Garcia exploited his weight advantage as a tool to defeat Devin Haney last Saturday night.
Bradley noted that Ryan (25-1, 20 KOs) never even attempted to make his contract weight of 140 lbs during last Friday's weigh-in. He was 3.2 lbs over the limit at 143.2 lbs.
Bradley felt that Ryan's added weight gave him an advantage because he didn't have to exhaust himself the way Haney did (31-1, 15 Kos), who came in at 140 lbs .
Some fans felt that Bradley could not admit that he was wrong, as he picked Haney to win and felt Ryan was not mentally ready for this fight. Bradley even said he might stop commentating if Ryan wins.
Garcia's overweight advantage
“What he learned from Gervonta Davis [fight], he took it to Devin Haney. People said, 'Haney took the money.' He had to because he was damned if he did, and damned if he didn't. He had to because this was a big event. You back out and you're going to make a lot of people angry,” boxing analyst Tim Bradley told Sean Zittel. YouTube channel discusses Ryan Garcia's victory over Devin Haney.
“If it only weighs 3.2 lbs, why isn't it in production? Why doesn't Ryan Garcia try to gain weight? Bradley talked about Ryan Garcia coming out overweight at his weigh-in last Friday at 143.2 lbs instead of 140.”
Ryan said he tried to gain weight but gave up late at night when he couldn't lose the remaining weight. He wanted to gain weight so he bet Hane $500,000 per pound. It ended up costing Ryan $1.5 million. So clearly this wasn't a planned move by Ryan because if it were, he wouldn't have agreed to the bet.
“He said it in a Tweet, 'I don't want to burn out,'” Bradley said of Ryan. “I want to be physically strong to fight.” Well, guess who exhausted himself to gain weight? Devin 'Dream' Haney. Now, that's not Ryan's fault. He didn't even try to gain weight.
“So Ryan comes into this fight with an advantage. Everything we [the media] speaking before this fight, we didn't know he had no intention of moving up in weight. We don't care about that. We are relying on skill to get skill. Their last performance.”
Again, Ryan said he tried to gain weight, but when it became clear that he wouldn't be able to lose the last 3 pounds, he gave up and chose to pay Haney the $1.5 million .
I don't think the weight gave Ryan an unfair advantage in this fight. What gives him the advantage is his speed and power, and the fact that Haney's punch resistance has not been the same since he was injured multiple times in his fight with Jorge Linares in 2021. Haney's striking has been weak since then, with him being hurt by Joseph 'JoJo' Diaz and Vasily Lomachenko.
The importance of playing nice
“I just want to be more clear about that. Ryan Garcia had the advantage. It's not a level playing field here. Devin Haney acted like a true professional the entire way. He made his contract weight,” Bradley said. “Understand that. Garcia didn't and that helped him in this fight.
“Haney wasn't a great puncher, but he was a respectable puncher, but he [Ryan] going through his stuff like it was nothing. Every shot Ryan threw caused Haney to buckle. Even if it was a glancing blow, it still made him buckle. But I tell you right now, things will be different.”
Ryan had to weather Haney's shots because his legs were gone after being injured in the first round. After being hit with a left hook by Ryan in round one, Haney's legs looked like rubber and had no solid foundation.
What further undermined Haney's power was the fact that he was on the outside and coming in for the take. He didn't sit down to throw his punches because he was too afraid of being cut back by one of Ryan's powerful left hooks.
“If three pounds isn't a lot then why doesn't Ryan try to get it?” Bradley said, sounding like a conspiracy theorist. “It will weaken his resolve. There's no doubt in my mind. Now, you have a level playing field. Now, it's a little different. Now, it's going to take something away from his punching power [Ryan] yes because he looks heavy.”
The way Ryan punches, he will still be strong even if he lost 3.2 lbs to make weight last Friday. Haney would have been eliminated in the seventh round if it weren't for referee Harvey Dock stopping the action to strip Ryan of points for hitting on the break.
Questioning Garcia's victory
“People say, 'Haney weighs 165 lbs.' So it exploded. That's a lot of sodium and water retention,” said Bradley. “He's not gaining weight properly. You have Ryan. He probably had three more pounds on him. He looked so dense and big in his fight with Haney.”
Haney has looked excellent in his fights since his two bouts with George Kambosos Jr. in 2022. That has nothing to do with sodium retention and more to do with the fact that he's a guy who should have fought at welterweight instead of 140.
“Haney looks like a small guy. Usually, Haney is the older one. He's smaller than Ryan Garcia, Bradley said. “So that's what he has going for him. So I look at it and think, 'How do you credit Ryan?'”
Haney looked just as big as Ryan last Saturday. The only difference is that Ryan is a little taller than him, about 5’10”. You have to give Ryan credit for the win because he knocked Haney down three times [six times if you count the three non-calls in the seventh].
“How much credit do you give him when he has an advantage in the match?” Bradley said. “You have a contract weight that you know you won't reach. In that case, you should have done the match at 143 minutes without wearing the belt into the match, but he didn't.
“That will help Haney in this match. It will help him absorb the shots Ryan throws and lands, Bradley said.
