UFC bantamweight champ Sean O’Malley and boxing fans mock Ryan Garcia after his win against WBC Super Lightweight champion Devin Haney.
Ryan Garcia displayed an exceptional performance during the fight which saw him hand Haney the first loss of his pro-boxing career. The two previously fought 6 times during their amateur days with both fighters winning 3 each. Now, in their first professional clash against each other, Garcia shows the advantages he has in terms of height and size. Ahead of the bout, Devin added that Garcia had not improved since their amateur days and it looks like the comment has come back to bite him.
Ryan Garcia shocks the world by defeating Devin Haney💥 Rewatch the action from #HaneyGarcia, presented by @autozone 🥊 pic.twitter.com/cKzUM6pKrG
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) April 21, 2024
In the fight, “King Ry” landed 106 total punches out of an attempted 285 strikes throughout 12 rounds. Haney, on the other hand, attempted 214 strikes and landed 87 punches. On top of that, the Mexican-American boxer also knocked Haney down three times in the fight. So overall, it was an exceptional performance that will shut a lot of his critics up. While Ryan put up the best performance of his career inside the ring tonight, Sean O’Malley found a way to mock him.
Fans react to Ryan Garcia’s bizarre defense techniques against Devin Haney
In the first round, Ryan Garcia rocked Devin Haney right away. However, that seemed to wake Haney up and in the following few rounds, it was the WBC Super Lightweight champ who played the role of the aggressor. But, whenever the 25-year-old was closing the gap on Garcia, the latter used an interesting tactic to defend himself. He turned his back to Haney and Sean O’Malley used that to make fun of Garcia in a social media video.
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He added, “Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney just got done. Very impressive fight from Ryan, he was using an exciting technique. He would throw his left hook which is very nice, throw his left hook and instantly turn his back, couldn’t get hit.” The UFC star then went on to do a parody of Ryan and closed out the video by saying, “Good fight.” It seems like a lot of fans also agreed with O’Malley on the bizarreness of Garcia’s defense.
Here are some fan reactions on the matter
Ryan didn’t show me he’s a top level fighter. Just a left hook not gonna be anybody with any real defense
— FA Gup (@GupXbl) April 21, 2024
Shakur has elite defense and Ryan has no defense
— Zaza (@RollUpThatZaza) April 21, 2024
great performance but PLEASE ditch that defense
— nic (@atnics) April 21, 2024
Work on your defense champ.
— Odoi Purple (@odoipurple) April 21, 2024
Make weight next time.
That defense won’t work against fighters like Tank.
@RyanGarcia beat Haney with HORRIBLE conditioning, defense, and a mediocre offensive system.
— sea level cain (@notsopinney) April 21, 2024
That’s how naturally talented this dude is. #HaneyGarcia
Throughout the fight, Ryan Garcia had his chin exposed and showed no respect for Devin Haney’s power. However, as some fans pointed out, this type of defense will not work against elite fighters. Garcia’s KO loss to Gervonta Davis was the best example of it.
Aside from all the banter, Sean O’Malley was also complimentary of Ryan Garcia’s left hook. In the fight, Haney knew he was not going to withstand Ryan’s power. Hence, he started to use clinching. But, Ryan countered that with some brutal left hooks every time the two fighters separated. One such left hook forced the third knockdown in the fight, which sealed the deal for Garcia.
Although there was a point deduction for Ryan after hitting Haney with an illegal punch, it still did not matter in the end as the judges had the fight 112-112, 114-110, and 115-109 for Garcia.
Ryan Garcia is open to a rematch against Gervonta Davis on one condition
Boxing vs. MMA has always been a very intriguing spectacle. While fans have seen some entertaining bouts, very rarely has an MMA fighter been on the right end of the decision. Most recently, Anthony Joshua obliterated former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in a boxing match. However, it seems like there is some interest in booking a fight between Ryan Garcia and Sean O’Malley. Even Ryan himself has expressed his openness to it.
In February 2024, Garcia commented on it during an appearance on ‘The MMA Hour’. He added, “Bring that motherf***er on. I’ll beat his ass in MMA, guaranteed… I’m a natural, you don’t understand. I’m a natural wrestler. I just beat my security that’s a wrestler. I beat him. I’m strong and I got crazy conditioning.” (h/t via Sports Illustrated)
After the fight, Devin Haney added that he wanted the rematch right away. However, Garcia may have his eye on the Gervonta Davis potential rematch, and his promoter Oscar De La Hoya mentioned the only way the fight can happen. While there is no timeline for the Haney rematch just yet, the fans will also have to wait for a potential Sean O’Malley match and a Tank Davis rematch.
Ryan on potential Tank rematch? 👀@RyanGarcia isn’t afraid to get back into the ring with @Gervontaa #HaneyGarcia pic.twitter.com/EGNmC8w22P
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) April 21, 2024
As for the rematch against Davis, Garcia added, “I can’t make f*cking 140, I’ve never even technically fought at 140, I fought every time at 143. My body can’t literally go lower than 143. It’s impossible, I’ve tried every technique.” Oscar then jumped in and added, “The only way he’s gonna fight Tank Davis, is a catchweight Okay? At 145-144, just the way they did to him.”
His comments not only put the Gervonta Davis rematch at risk but also cast doubt on a Devin Haney rematch as well. If Garcia is really moving to 147lbs, then a rematch against Haney could be unlikely. What are your thoughts on the recently concluded match? Let us know in the comments below.
