Ryan Garcia achieved an astonishing upset win against Devin Haney in New Yorkand declared that his win should ease concerns about his mental well-being..
Haney was knocked down three times during an exciting fight early on Sunday, marking his first professional loss as Garcia won the majority decision against one of the best fighters in the world.
Haney is still the WBC super-lightweight champion despite losing. Garcia did not meet the 140lbs weight limit on Friday, so he could not win his first major world title.
Regardless, Garcia will leave as an even bigger superstar than when he entered the ring.
The lead-up to this weekend’s fight was marred by worries about Garcia’s mental health following erratic behavior and social media activity. These concerns increased during a chaotic fight week, when he drank from a bottle of beer on stage after missing weight.
After defeating Haney, Garcia implied that his behavior was just a show, stating that he had been ‘drinking every night’ before the fight, but was simply ‘having fun’.
In an intense post-fight interview, Garcia said: ‘I had everyone thinking I was crazy, but at the end of the day who’s the crazy one now? I didn’t really want to say this, but it’s the truth.
‘Everybody needs to acknowledge y’all was tripping, not me. I wasn’t. I was the one who was sanity. I don’t give a f**k what people say about me.
‘I walked through the fire and still held it down and still beat Devin Haney and still drink every day and still beat him.
‘I did everything. What happened? False reality, right? Drank every single night. What happened? I won. Not necessarily am I proud of that, but I’m just saying. It was a statement to show you – you guys can’t really f**k with me. I do whatever I want and still win.
‘I was just having fun, man. I’m going through a lot. I went through a divorce. Just, a lot of s***’s been happening to me outside my life.
That kind of broke me. I did what I needed to do to feel okay. So I drank every day and did whatever I wanted, and I’m not proud of it at all. Don’t necessarily look at me like an example, because I’m far from perfect.’
