By: Sean Crose
Devin Haney took a beating from Ryan Garcia Saturday evening at Brooklyn’s Barclays Heart. That wasn’t how issues have been imagined to have turned out. Garcia, who had been performing bizarrely within the leadup to the struggle, missed weight by a whopping three plus kilos and got here throughout as not taking the bout critically. Suffice to say, Garcia stunned an entire lot of individuals when he knocked Haney down 3 times on his approach to a majority determination win. With that being mentioned, the unusual, highly effective, enormously gifted Garcia is now the largest factor in boxing – at the very least in the intervening time.
What about Haney, although? Most had assumed it will be him, and never Garcia, who can be the largest factor in boxing strolling away from this previous weekend. The place did he go unsuitable on Saturday – or was there nothing he may do to cease the lightning quick howitzers Garcia repeatedly despatched his approach all through the struggle? Even earlier than the opening bell, the person didn’t look nice. Not like Garcia, Haney made the burden lower – a transfer which certainly might have damage his possibilities towards Garcia within the ring. Haney additionally made the error – odd for him – of permitting himself to be hit by Garcia. Even when retreating when damage, Haney went straight again, leaving himself weak for assault.
Was there extra to it than that, nonetheless? Did Garcia’s unusual actions main as much as the struggle one way or the other make their approach inside Haney’s thoughts? In that case, it wouldn’t be the primary time such a factor has occurred within the leadup to an expert boxing match. It was mentioned Muhammad Ali (then nonetheless Cassius Clay) received inside heavyweight champion Sonny Liston’s head however good earlier than Ali dethroned the defending champion again in 1964. Going again even additional, “Two Ton” Tony Galento did such a superb job getting himself inside Joe Louis’ head that Luis even admitted it. Maybe that’s why Galento was in a position to drop Louis of their 1939 title bout (Louis received off the canvas and went on to win).
Nobody can actually say what sort of impression Garcia had on Haney’s efficiency Saturday evening. He didn’t seem like the masterful Haney persons are used to seeing, nonetheless, not by a protracted shot. Whereas nobody would argue Garcia didn’t have extra energy than Haney, it was nonetheless stunning to see how far more energy he had. May or not it’s that within the midst of the struggle’s chaotic leadup, Haney one way or the other misplaced focus? Or may or not it’s Haney merely fell sufferer to his personal overconfidence? Or may or not it’s that, in the long run, Garcia was merely throughout a far superior fighter?
Ought to a rematch between the 2 males go-down, these questions would possibly effectively be answered.
