Under normal circumstances, the super lightweight fight between Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, is a potential classic.
Haney, the WBC super lightweight champion, is a masterful boxer. Garcia is equipped with power and speed. A pair of 25-year-old boxers in their prime capable of putting on a show worth of the pay-per-view price of $69.99.
But these are not normal circumstances.
In a bizarre buildup to the fight, scheduled for 12 rounds, Garcia has made outlandish claims — including that he conjured up demons and was at risk of being crucified.
“Ryan Garcia has fooled the people,’’ Haney’s father, Bill, said at the press conference Thursday.
But when Garcia’s behavior grew vulgar at the press conference, Devin Haney said, “Something’s wrong with this (expletive).’’
Not normal: On Friday, Garcia appeared to guzzle a beer at weigh-in and was 3.2 pounds overweight. Later, Garcia wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “Apple Juice and sparkling water HEHE.’’
Was it beer, or apple juice and sparking water? Is he fooling the people and setting up Haney for an upset loss, or is he suffering from mental health issues?
The answers may be clearer Saturday night, under strange circumstances. USA TODAY will provide all the latest updates, news and highlights from the bouts on the main card at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Follow along here.
What time is the Ryan Garcia-Devin Haney fight?
The main card starts at 8 p.m. ET. Ring walks for Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney are estimated to start at 11 p.m. ET.
How to watch Ryan Garcia vs. Devin Haney
The boxing match can be viewed on DAZN ($69.99 with a subscription) and PPV.com ($79.99, no subscription required).
Tyson drew loud cheers as he headed to his seat. Scheduled to fight Jake Paul July 20, he’ll be watching Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney not quite from ringside.
Dressed in all black, Tyson settled into a seat a row behind at least one other row of apparent VIPs. He didn’t look particularly bothered either.
What does the fighter who may have guzzled a beer at weigh-in do for an encore?
Ryan Garcia has brought a string quartet to the locker room.
Super lightweight, 10 rounds, co-main
Round 1: Lots of jabs, and McComb seems to have landed the most. But Barboza responds with two straight rights, but here’s McComb finishing up the round with more jabs. McComb 10, Barboza 9.
Round 2: Barboza more aggressive, and McComb countering with the jab. Barboza’s throwing with more power, he’ll have to land more cleanly to score. Barboza looking for room to strike. But McComb mostly fending him off with the jab. McComb 20, Barboza 18.
Two accidental headbutts turned the ring into a gruesome sight, with Bektemir Melikuziev of Uzbekistan and Pierre Dibombe of France each bleeding from cuts above an eye.
A ringside doctor halted the super middleweight fight shortly after the eighth round began, and Melikuziev beat the previously unbeaten Dibombe by unanimous decision.
The judges scored the fight 79-73, 79-73, 78-74 in favor of Melikuziev.
Melikuziev improved to 14-1 and Dibombe fell to 22-1-1.
Round 1: Melikuziev threw plenty of punches but it was hard to tell what landed. Dibombe was bleeding badly from his right eye as the round came to an end. It was ruled an accidental headbutt, according to the DAZN broadcast. Melikuziev 10, Dimbobe 9.
Round 2: With less than a minute left in the round, it’s stopped so a doctor can inspect the cut over Dibombe’s eye. Looks awful, but he wants to continue and so he does – landing punches too. Melikuziev 19, Dibombe 19.
Round 3: Essentially fighting with one eye, Dibombe is a warrior, throwing punches and landing a few. But Melikuziev looks in control, and he’s not going to help Dibombe protect that right eye. Melikuziev 29, Dibombe 28.
Round 4: Dibombe lands a big right. But Melikuziev isn’t shaken. He stays on the attack. Some good exchanges here, and now Dibombe draws blood from Melikuziev’s nose and left eye. May have been another accidental headbutt. Melikuziev 38, Dibombe 38.
Round 5: Melikuziev scores a knockdown even as Dibombe protests. But he’s quickly up and ready to go as the scene turns gruesome. Now both fighters are bleeding profusely from an eye. A ringside doctor inspects Melikuziev’s cut left eye and lets the fight continue. Melikuziev closes out with a flourish. Melikuziev 48 Dibombe 46.
Round 6: Action is slowing. Melikuziev has not been able to maintain his momentum from Round 5. But Melikuziev the aggressor. Melikuziev 58, Dibombe 55.
Round 7: In close range, but nothing to write home about. Or to write to you about, dear reader. A solid combo from Dibombe. But now Melikuziev bullies Dibombe into the corner. Melikuziev unloaded punches, but Dibombe’s landed with more force. Melikuziev 67, Dibombe 65.
Doctor halts the fight after the seventh round because of the cut under Melikuziev’s eye opened by an accidental headbutt.
David Jimenez of Costa Rica bloodied and battered American John Ramirez and won their 12-round super flyweight fight by a unanimous decision.
Jimenez routinely charged out of the corner and took the fight to Ramirez. He absorbed shots, but dished out more, leaving Ramirez bleeding profusely from the right eye.
The judges scored it 117-111, 117-111, 116-112.
Round 1: Ramirez falls to the canvas after Jimenez bulls into him. Might have been worth something in the Octagon. Back on his feet, Ramirez looks unshaken. Ramirez 10, Jimenez 9.
Round 2: Jimenez more active now and landing punches. Fighters look content at center of ring, trading punches. Ramirez looks like stronger fighter, but Jimenez not backing away. Ramirez 19, Jimenez 19.
Round 3: Jimenez lands a solid left – and throwing it again. Ramirez steadying himself behind his jab. Jimenez outworking Ramirez. Now Jimenez showboating. Ramirez catches him late. Jimenez 29, Ramirez 28.
Round 4: Punches flying. Both fighters still willing to trade at the center of the ring. Ramirez might be getting the better of these exchanges. Jimenez has Ramirez on the ropes, digging in. Ramirez turns the tables and begins landing his own punches. Jimenez 39, Ramirez 37.
Round 5: Jimenez looks like a marionette. Trying to keep Ramirez off balance with the awkward movement. But now it’s back to crawling. Jimenez delivering combos, striking the body and head of Ramirez, who responds with effective counterpunching. Jimenez 48, Ramirez 47.
Round 6: Jimenez charges out of his corner, setting the tone. Initiating the action, and there’s lots of it. Ramirez in control for a stretch. But Jimenez works Ramirez back onto the ropes again. Whenever they go, it’s Jimenez who’s the more active fighter – and he finishes with a flurry. Jimenez 58, Ramirez 56.
Round 7: Might as well move these guys inside a phone booth. Jimenez wants to close the distance and Ramirez obliges. Maybe take it to a back alley. Both have landed their fair share of punches. Jimenez 67, Ramirez 66.
Round 8: Ramirez to self: “Will this guy ever run out of energy?’’ You gotta wonder, as Jimenez is forcing the action yet again. Jimenez showboating again, a sign he’s got plenty of fuel in the tank after getting the best of Ramirez in that round. Jimenez 77, Ramirez 75.
Round 9: Surprise, surprise. Here they are trading blows again. When does exhaustion set in? Jimenez just pounding on Ramirez during the final 15 seconds of that round. Jimenez 87, Ramirez 84.
Round 10: Jimenez has blood on his back. It belongs to Ramirez. Jimenez the cleaner fighter and the fresher fighter. Ramirez trying to bull his way into Jimenez, who’s all too glad to tangle in close quarters. Jimenez 96, Ramirez 94.
Round 11: Lots of grappling. Things devolving here. But Jimenez finding space to throw punches. Stalking now. Has Ramirez in the corner. Jimenez 106, Ramirez 103.
Round 12: Jimenez has Ramirez in the corner again. Largely been the aggressor for 12 rounds. Ramirez landing, but Jimenez fires right back. Now Ramirez bleeding profusely from his right eye. Face covered with blood. Jimenez wearing Ramirez’s blood and finishing strong. Jimenez 116, Ramirez 112.
Charles Conwell hadn’t fought in more than a year.
There was no sign of ring rest Saturday, when he stopped Nathaniel Gallimore by TKO in the sixth round of their super welterweight bout.
Gallimore failed to capitalize on his reach and instead ate a barrage of punches from Conwell. The referee waved off the fight with 2:08 left in the sixth round.
Conwell landed 136 punches compared to 39 punches for Gallimore, according to the DAZN broadcast.
Conwell, who’s signed with Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, improved to 19-0 with 14 knockouts and Gallimore fell to 22-8-1.
Round 1: Fighters measuring each other, trading jabs in the center of the ring. Conwell stalking now. Conwell lands a right to Gallimore’s ear. Lands two hard body shots. Conwell 10, Gallimore 9.
Round 2: Conwell on the offensive again, but nothing big landing yet. An uppercut from Conwell. Conwell unloading now, but only for a burst. Gallimore trying to use his jab and reach advantage to keep Conwell at bay. Not working. Another barrage from Conwell to close out the round. Conwell 20, Gallimore 18.
Round 3: Gallimore firing an effective jab, but probably won’t be enough to slow Conwell. In fact, it’s not. Conwell unleashing a furious flurry. Gallimore bleeding from right eye, mouth and nose. Conwell just pounding away. Conwell 30, Gallimore 27.
Round 4: Gallimore has taken a beating, but he’s at the center of the ring, firing jabs. Good stretch here for Gallimore, cornering Conwell and landing body shots. Hard right from Conwell. Conwell 40, Gallimore 36.
Round 5: The pace is slowing down now. Well, wrote that too soon. Conwell pounding away. Gallimore absorbing the punches and bleeding. Conwell is relentless. Conwell 50, Gallimore 45.
Round 6: Conwell firing from the outset. Gallimore lands a good left – a pebble amidst Conwell’s boulders. It’s over. Referee stops the fight with 2:08 left in the sixth round. Chares Conwell is the winner by TKO.
Ryan Garcia came in three pounds over the contracted weight of 140 pounds. Will that make a difference in his bout against Devin Haney? Claressa Shields doesn’t think so.
“I don’t think that weight makes a difference. It may give him a little more energy or what not. Or not being drained. But he’s still going to fight the same. So I don’t think it’s changing nothing,” Shields said.
Predictions from select boxing writers and fighters:
Robert Segal, Boxing News 24: “Even if Haney is planning to fight in a toe-to-toe fight, once he tastes Ryan’s power, he’ll change his mind about that and revert to the safety-first style we saw him use in his last four fights.’’
- Prediction: Haney by a one-sided decision or late knockout
Lucky Ngamwajasat, Bleacher Report: “One punch can turn any fight and ‘King Ry’ definitely has the arsenal to catch Haney if he isn’t careful. However, the smart money here says Haney keeps Garcia at arm’s length and cruises to victory.
- Prediction: Haney by unanimous decision
Josh Peter, USA TODAY: ”With Ryan Garcia’s erratic behavior, I’m hoping for the best but expecting the worst.”
- Prediction: Haney wins after Garcia is DQ’d in the 8th round.
Claressa Shields told Fight Hub TV, “It’ll be entertaining. Like you’ll see Ryan go out there and be flashy and throw his combinations and be sharp and long and stuff. But I think that Devin is just the better boxer and he’ll be able to make Ryan run into some things and I think it’ll be a unanimous decision for Devin.”
Canelo Alvarez told Fight Hub TV he thinks Garcia will win “if he’s 100 percent.’’ But Alvarez also said, “The people around him need to help him. So, I feel a little sad for him because he needs to have a good person, good people around him.”
Shane Mosley told Fight Hype, “I would say Devin has the bigger advantage, meaning he’ll be able to outbox, move around and understand Ryan. But at the same time … Ryan does have a big left hook and a big punch.”
Shawn Porter said of Garcia on his podcast, “I think he’s going to come to the ring comfortable against Devin, confident against Devin. You got (trainer) Derrick James in the corner now, so they’re working fundamentals and basics.”
Adrien Broner said, “My brother say he got a $1 million that Devin win this fight tonight. And if I had money like I had back in the day, I’d probably put my $1 million with H too. But taking that I only got $13, I like Ryan for the knockout. I like my odds. I got to triple this (expletive) up.”
During a promotional event at the Empire State Building, Garcia repeatedly barked in Haney’s face, “Where’s you mom, (expletive)?’’
Haney violently shoved Garcia in the face and neck.
But it didn’t end there.
Later, during a conversation that aired live on X, formerly Twitter, Garcia said he’d heard that Haney’s father, Bill, had “pimped out’’ Haney’s mother.
Then on Thursday, with the two boxers on the stage for the final press conference, Garcia asked, “Where’s your mama? Oh, I’m going to go flirt with your mama. …I want some of your mama.’’
Haney’s mother was in the audience.
And when someone approached her after the press conference, she said of Garcia, “I’ll bite the (expletive). I’ll bite him.’’
In a sterling display of accuracy and skill, Derevyanchenko outclassed Alexander with endless combinations of punches in the 10-round super middleweight fight. The Ukrainian fighter dropped Alexander to the canvas with a left hook to the body in the eighth round.
In the 2023 Fight of the Year, Derevyanchenko lost to Jaime Munguia by unaminous decision in a 10-round battle. But his bout against Alexander was a 10-round highlight reel.
The Ukrainian improved to 15-5. Alexander fell to 18-11-1.
The fight on Saturday will not be the first meeting between Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney.
They faced off four times as amateurs and each won twice, according to BoxRec. (Oscar De La Hoya, the co-promoter of the Garcia-Haney fight, and others have said they’ve fought six times as amateurs and that each fighter won three times. De La Hoya touts the eminent bout Game 7.)
Well, it was game on at the 2014 USA National Junior Championships when Garcia and Haney fought as 14-year-olds in the final at 125 pounds.
Here’s footage of that fight:
Fulghum, who has a nursing degree from Prairie View A&M, is focusing on his boxing career and it’s paying off.
He pounded Olivas with a barrage of punches and a flurry in the fourth round led the referee to wave off the super middleweight fight.
Fulghum, 27, improved to 11-0. Olivas, 32, fell to 22-11.
Canas, a 6-foot righty, capitalized on his reach advantage against the 5-6 Bowes. Not only did Canas, 22, use his jab effectively, but he also landed plenty of strong rights in their four-round super lightweight bout.
Canas improved to 4-0 and Bowes fell to 2-6.
Jones, part of Devin Haney’s stable, knocked Mbumba-Yassa in the sixth round. Soon after the referee later waved off the Super Middleweight fight that Jones dominated from the outset.
Jones, 31, improved to 12-0. Mbumba-Yassa, a native of The Republic of the Congo who had fought only 13 days earlier, fell to 10-2-1.
Who decides if Ryan Garcia is mentally fit to fight?
Whether Ryan Garcia is mentally fit to fight Haney ultimately is a matter for the New York State Athletic Commission to decide. And this week, as Garcia’s erratic behavior has continued, well regarded boxing analyst Teddy Atlas said he was “disappointed” with the state athletic commission.
“There’s only one reason we have commissions, to ensure the welfare and health of a fighter going into a ring, to make sure that mentally and physically, they are of good, sound mind and body,” Atlas said on his podcast, “The Fight with Teddy Atlas.” “I don’t know that you can say that about Garcia if you didn’t evaluate him with the right people.”
Garcia has said he underwent psychological evaluation and passed.
In a statement provided to USA TODAY Sports, the commission said it will not comment on “the specific medical testing and evaluations of any particular person.”
The commission also said it “has broad authority to assess the medical fitness of professional athletes (mental and physical health included), and engages in a thorough case-by-case due diligence process with every professional athlete based on their personal medical history and circumstances prior to their participation in competition. No match is held until the professional athletes are found medically fit for competition.”
With Roy Jones Jr. in his corner, Newman scored a TKO in the fourth round of their cruiserweight bout.
Newman dropped Robles with a flurry of punches earlier in the fourth round, then landed a hard right that left Robles on his knees. The referee promptly waved off the fight.
Newman, 32, improved to 15-3-1 and Robles, 32, of Mexico fell to 9-4.
At the weigh-in on Friday, as Ryan Garcia stepped on the scale, he guzzled what appeared to be a beer. On a video he shared on X, formerly Twitter, Garcia wrote that it was “100 percent worth it.” But he later posted a message that said, “Apple Juice and sparkling water HEHE.”
What was indisputable: Garcia weighed in at 143.2 pounds.
There was no such drama with Devin Haney, who weighed in at 140 pounds.
And because the two boxers made a pre-fight bet – Each would owe the other $500,000 for every pound they were over the 140-pound contracted weight – Haney found himself $1.5 million richer.
Trained by Devin Haney’s father, Canal knocked down Borgaro in the third round and was in control throughout the six-round, lightweight fight.
Canal, 21 and signed to Devin Haney Promotions, improved to 8-0. Borgaro, an 18-year-old from Mexico, fell to 7-2.
Here are the bouts on the main card:
≻ Arnold Barboza Jr. vs. Sean McComb, co-main, WBO Inter-Continental Super Lightweight, 10 rounds
≻ Bektemir Melikuziev vs. Pierre Dibombe, WBA Inter-Continental Super Middleweight, 10 rounds
≻ John Ramirez vs. David Jimenez, WBA Interim World Super Flyweight, 12 rounds
≻ Charles Conwell vs. Nathaniel Gallimore, Super Welterweight, 12 rounds
≻ Ryan Garcia: 24-1 with 20 KO’s
≻ Devin Haney: 31-0 with 15 KO’s
As of Friday night, tickets for the fight at Barclays Center were available for $112 and up on Stubhub before fees.
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