Boxing analyst Tim Bradley believes Ryan Garcia used his weight advantage to defeat heavy favorite Devin Haney last Saturday night.
Bradley pointed out that Ryan (25-1, 20 KOs) didn't even try to hit his contracted weight of 140 pounds at last Friday's weigh-in. He was 3.2 pounds over the limit at 143.2 pounds.
Bradley feels Ryan's added weight was an advantage because he didn't have to be as physically exhausted as Haney (31-1, 15 Kos), who moved up to 140 pounds.
Some fans can't admit they were wrong, considering Bradley picked Haney to win and felt Ryan wasn't mentally ready for this match. I feel that. Bradley even said that if Ryan wins, he might stop commentating.
Garcia's overweight advantage
“What he learned from Gervonta Davis” [fight], he took it to Devin Haney. People say, “Haney took the money.” He had to do this because if he did he would be damned and if he didn't he would be damned. He had no choice but to do it because this was a big event. If you pull away, you’re going to piss a lot of people off,” boxing analyst Tim Bradley said of Ryan Garcia’s win over Devin Haney on Sean Zittel’s YouTube channel.
“If it's only 3.2 pounds, why didn't you try to make it?” Why didn't Ryan Garcia try to gain weight? '' Bradley said about Ryan Garcia being overweight at last Friday's weigh-in at 143.2 pounds instead of 140 pounds. ”
Ryan said he tried to gain weight, but gave up late at night because he couldn't lose the rest of the weight. He would bet $500,000 a pound on Hayne, so he wanted him to make weight. In the end it cost Ryan $1.5 million. So clearly this was not a planned move on Ryan's part. Because if that were the case, he would not have agreed to the bet.
“He said in a tweet, 'I don't want to consume myself,'” Bradley said of Ryan. He said, “I want to get stronger for the match.'' Now, who would have gone through the stamina to make this weight? Devin the Dream Haney. Now, it's not Ryan's fault. He didn't even try to gain weight.
“So Ryan went into this game in a favorable position. All of us [the media] Heading into this fight, we don't know that he's not going to make weight. We're not counting on that. We want skill for skill. their last performance. ”
Again, Ryan said she tried to gain weight, but when it became clear she couldn't drop those last three pounds, she decided to give up and pay Haney $1.5 million.
I don't think Ryan had an unfair advantage in this fight because of his weight. What gave him the advantage was the fact that his speed and power, as well as his resistance to Haney's punches, were not the same after suffering multiple injuries against Jorge Linares in 2021. Since then, Haney's ability to take punches has diminished. He was hurt by Joseph “Jojo” Diaz and Vasily Lomachenko.
The importance of fair play
“I'd like to elaborate on that. Ryan Garcia had an advantage. It wasn't a level playing field here. Devin Haney acted like a true professional from start to finish. He I hit my contract weight,” Bradley said. “I see. Garcia didn't do that, but it helped him in this fight.
“Haney isn't a big puncher, but he's a good puncher. [Ryan] I walked through his belongings as if nothing had happened. Every shot Ryan threw forced Haney into submission. Even if it was a grazing blow, it buckled him. But I'm telling you now, that would be different. ”
Ryan was injured in the first round and lost his leg, so he walked through Haney's shots. After being nailed by Ryan's left hook in the first round, Haney's legs looked like rubber and he did not have a strong foundation.
What took more power away from Haney was him being on the outside and diving into the clinch. He sat back and did not continue to land punches because he was afraid of being clipped again by Ryan's powerful left hook.
“If three pounds isn't a lot, why didn't Ryan try to achieve it?” Bradley said in a conspiracy theorist tone. “That would have weakened his resolve. There's no doubt in my mind. Now we have a level playing field. Now, that's a little different. Now, if he did If he did, his punching power would have been diminished at least a little. [Ryan] I did that because it looked heavy. ”
Considering the way Ryan punches, he would have been strong even if he dropped 3.2 pounds to gain weight last Friday. Haney would have been knocked out in the seventh round if referee Harvey Dock hadn't stopped him from stealing points from Ryan with a break hit.
Garcia's victory is questionable
“People say, 'Haney gets up to 165 pounds,' and it exploded. That's a lot of sodium and water retention,” Bradley said. “He hasn't made weight properly. We've got Ryan. He could have had three more pounds. In the fight with Haney, he was so thick and looked so big.”
Haney appears to have improved a lot in his game since his two fights with George Kambosos Jr. in 2022. It has nothing to do with sodium retention and more to do with him being the guy who should be fighting at welterweight instead of 140.
“Haney looked like a small guy. Usually Haney is a bigger guy. He was small compared to Ryan Garcia,” said Bradley. “So, that was in his favor. So I look at that and think, 'How do you compliment Ryan?'”
Haney looked just as big as Ryan last Saturday. The only difference was that Ryan was a little taller than him at 5 feet 10 inches.I have to give credit to Ryan for the win as he knocked Haney down three times. [six times if you count the three non-calls in the seventh].
“How much do you rate him when he's favored heading into a game?” Bradley said. “You had your contracted weight, and you knew you couldn't make it at this. Then he should have fought at 143 without a belt, but he didn't do that.
“That would have helped Haney in this game. It would have helped him absorb the shots that Ryan threw and landed,” Bradley said.
