STEPHEN A. Smith was furious with the referee Harvey Dock how Ryan Garcia surprised Devin Haney last night.
The overwhelming underdog knocked down his rival THREE times to claim a famous majority decision victory despite having a point deducted,
“This referee is absolutely terrible,” Smith posted in X.
“Ryan Garcia takes Haney down. He’s hurt as hell, holding on to Garcia for dear life, forcing Garcia to punch in the clinch.
“The referee pauses the action to deduct the point – without warning.
“Garcia drops Haney again twice – but the referee calls both a slip. Unreal! Horrible refereeing.”
Smith wasn’t the only one who got into trouble with the officer.
“The fight between Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney is being ruined by the referee. Sir, you are not the main character!” Robert Griffin III tweeted.
And Garcia himself called Dock out after the fight, claiming he had “robbed” him of a knockout in the seventh.
Garcia’s erratic behavior left fans concerned for his well-being.
And it only intensified after he missed the 140-pound championship weight by more than 3 pounds, denying himself the chance to win the world title.
But his infamous left hand proved too powerful for Haney, who looked exhausted during the weigh-in.
“Come on dog, did you really think I was crazy?” Garcia, 25 years old, after his triumph.
“You have all lost your minds! My left hook is my left hook, that’s blessed by God.
“Every time I land, it can knock you down or knock you down. You guys hate me, but I’ve been boxing my whole life.
“I knew I had control after taking him down, maybe my conditioning wasn’t the best, but I managed to get the job done.
“I fought him six times, so I knew what I could do.”
In the seventh round, a left hook put Haney, 25, on the ground after having started well.
“I was more surprised than hurt when he first dropped me.”
Devin Haney
Garcia undone his good work with a cheap shot that lost him a point and neutralized the knockdown.
But Haney fought back and was dropped again in the tenth round.
Haney somehow escaped the round, but the momentum stayed with the underdog, who scored another knockdown.
Garcia was so convinced it was all over that he even climbed the ropes and started celebrating – only for Haney to beat the count and force a chaotic final round.
Haney said: “I’m disappointed with my performance, but Ryan is a true champion.
“I showed that I can fight after being knocked down and hurt.
“He caught me early and I fell asleep on the left hook.
“I was more surprised than hurt when he first dropped me.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story