On Saturday in New York, Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) surpassed the weight limit for his scheduled 140-pound super lightweight title bout against Devin Haney (31-0, 16 KOs). Garcia weighed in 3.2 pounds over the limit, prompting negotiations between both camps to proceed with the fight as a non-title bout.
In a statement, Golden Boy Promotions acknowledged Garcia’s weight issue but affirmed their commitment to proceed with the fight as agreed upon at the final press conference.
A $500,000 bet between the fighters for each pound Garcia exceeded the weight limit was made during the press conference, which Garcia honored according to Haney’s post on X.
During the ceremonial weigh-in, Garcia appeared to make light of the situation by consuming what seemed to be a beer. He later clarified on social media that it was actually apple juice and sparkling water, contradicting his earlier statement to DAZN’s Ariel Helwani. During an interview regarding his weight issue, Garcia loudly exclaimed “suck my d***” at the audience and assured that he would still knock out Haney.
The bet was a largely self-inflicted predicament for Garcia, who impulsively proposed a $500,000 wager during the fighters’ press conference on Thursday. Seizing the moment, Haney escalated it to $500,000 per pound. Despite Garcia’s father attempting to intervene, the two fighters sealed the deal with a handshake. Garcia then crudely propositioned Haney’s mother.
Haney remarked, “Something is wrong with this guy,” as Garcia chuckled. “This behavior is not normal.” The entire incident, available for viewing here with a language warning, was consistent with Garcia’s character, as he never shies away from opportunities to garner attention, whether positive or negative, as noted by Yahoo Sports’ Ben Fowlkes on Friday.