Author: Sean Close
Ryan Garcia has surprised some by losing over three pounds as he prepares for his upcoming fight with Devin Haney. Haney is at the solid 140-pound mark, which is within the fight’s junior welterweight limit, while Garcia weighed in at 143.2 pounds. This comes after Garcia promised to pay $500,000 to Haney for every pound he was overweight, a bet that Garcia ultimately honored. “Ryan paid 500,000 yen per pound,” Haney shared on social media.
Despite this, Garcia remains unfazed by the weight loss. He dismissed the three-pound difference, stating on social media, “Stop crying.” Garcia expressed confidence in his weight, saying, “I feel great and I have a three-pound advantage. Winners do what they have to do, I’m still sharp.” Responding to criticism about being overweight, he defended his decision, questioning why he should weaken himself by gaining weight. “I’m here to win, that’s all,” he asserted.
Garcia’s behavior leading up to the fight has been unpredictable, oscillating between personas, including a devout Christian, a party enthusiast, and a conspiracy theorist. Concerns have been raised about his mental state despite his record of 24-1. However, the fight between Haney and Garcia seems to be proceeding as scheduled, indicating that an agreement has been reached between both parties. The question of Garcia’s readiness to fight will likely be answered on Saturday night.
Garcia did eventually arrive for the official weigh-in late Friday afternoon. After a slow process, both he and Haney stepped on the scale, with Garcia appearing to have a drink before being weighed. Again, Garcia weighed 143.2 pounds, while Haney maintained his weight at 140 pounds. A brief scuffle broke out between their teams before a stalemate was reached. Subsequently, the fighters faced off against each other.
Later, Garcia was interviewed by Ariel Helwani and made some controversial statements.
