Analyst Tim Bradley says Ryan Garcia fought like he had a “chip on his shoulder” with how he pulled off an upset against WBC light welterweight champion Devin Haney last Saturday night in New York.
Bradley looked silly picking Haney to win, and he made himself look worse by talking talking about there not being an even playing field because Ryan missed weight by a few pounds. It looked like someone who couldn’t admit that he got it wrong.
The “C-Level” Fighter Strikes Back
With so many people counting out Ryan and Haney (31-1, 15 KOs) calling him a “C-level fighter” who doesn’t belong in the ring with him, he proved everyone wrong by defeating the champion by a 12-round majority decision.
Bradley feels that Ryan (25-1, 20 KOs) had a look in his eyes after he got hit that he wasn’t going anywhere, and was determined to win. It’s more than that. Ryan had better hand speed and power and was more suited to the brawling style of fighting than Haney.
I think when Haney tried to go to war with Ryan, he was a fish out of water. That wasn’t Haney’s game because he’s always been a Shakur Stevenson type of fighter who fights on the outside, jabbing, holding, and trying to avoid punches.
The Haney Hustle Might Be Over
Haney is not a puncher, and his dad, Bill Haney, has carefully matched him his entire career. He steered away from guys with power and matched against smaller opposition.
They’ve had a good hustle with Haney fighting three weight classes below his actual size, and that’s helped him beat guys that he would have never beaten if he were the same size.
Against Ryan, Haney didn’t have the size advantage, and he was going up against a guy who could punch with far better hand speed. The only way Haney could snag his wins is by using a size advantage, and he couldn’t do that against Ryan.
“Ryan came into the ring with a chip on his shoulder. It wasn’t Ryan’s left hook. It was his determination is what impressed me because when Haney caught him and rocked him, you saw in his eyes. ‘I’m not going anywhere. I’m here all night. I’m going to give you hell, I’m going to catch you and I’m going to knock you out,’” said Tim Bradley to the Probox TV YouTube channel, talking about Ryan Garcia’s win over Devin Haney.
