(Reuters) – Ryan Garcia floored Devin Haney three times on the way to a majority decision victory in their 12-round super lightweight fight on Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
WBC super-lightweight world champion Haney suffered the first loss of his career as he was knocked down in the seventh, 10th and 11th rounds.
Judges scored the fight 112-112, 114-110, 115-109 in favour of Garcia, though the 25-year-old American was ineligible for Haney’s title after missing weight.
In a chaotic buildup to the fight, Garcia drank a bottle of beer on the scales and sent out a string of erratic posts on his X and Instagram profile.
“Come on, guys, you really thought I was crazy?! You lost your whole mind!” Garcia said after his victory. “My left hook is my left hook. That’s blessed by God.”
Haney said he was disappointed with his performance.
“But I showed that I can fight after a knockdown and getting hurt,” he added.
“I would love a rematch. I gave him a shot, it’s only right he gives me a shot back. He didn’t make weight, so I’m still the champion. We can run it back.”
(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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