Contrary to Reports, Devin Haney Insists Ryan Garcia Paid $1.5 Million Bet for Missing Weight by 3.2 Pounds

Ryan Garcia vs. Devin Haney has landed in another drama, right before fight night. Ahead of their official weigh-ins, Haney revealed on his social media that Ryan Garcia had failed to make the weight at 140 lbs for their WBC super lightweight title fight. However, to not hinder the fight from happening, he also insisted that Garcia met the conditions of their non-contractual bet.

In days leading to the fight, Haney had taken swipes at Garcia for seemingly looking “fat.” ‘KingRy’ refuted such chances by sharing images of his toned abs. However, at the presser earlier, ‘The Dream’ raised similar concerns. In response, KingRy nonchalantly agreed that if he came in overweight during the weigh-ins, he would pay $500k for each pound that he went above the 140-lb mark.

While his team, including his father, suggested to him strongly to not take the bet, Garcia, confident in himself, went ahead and made the bet. But that confidence seems to have backfired now. Garcia has weighed in 3.2 pounds more than the 140-pound mark. It was also confirmed by Haney on his X that the Californian has, however, agreed to pay off the bet he now owes to Devin Haney. He wrote, “Ryan honored the 500k per pound..”

Earlier, per Dan Rafael’s social media report, the two teams had divulged a new contract negotiation because of the weight miss. However, as per his sources, the financial compensation Garcia had to cough up was way less than $500k per pound. He wrote on his X, “The sides have made a financial deal to go forward but way less than the $500k they shook on at the presser. That was not binding when it comes to actual contracts.” 

Contrary to such reports, Haney has claimed that Ryan Garcia has agreed to the $500k per pound bet. However, no official confirmation on the bet money has come from Garcia’s side yet.

$1.5 million is a pretty big compensation to cough up. However, it seems like a drop in the bucket compared to what Ryan Garcia is supposed to make on his final cheque. His promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, in an earlier interview, had suggested that his fighter would potentially make about $30 million as an assured sum to fight Devin Haney. Additionally, if he won, he’d make double the sum. Now, given that he’s heavier than Haney, an advantage that could potentially push him toward victory, the $1.5 million seems like a small price to pay.

These sentiments were reflected in Ryan Garcia’s latest post as he broke his silence after reports of him missing the weight mark emerged.

Did Ryan Garcia just pick money over belts?

In boxing, there are two kinds of fighters. Some place importance on the belts they decorate their record with and then some demand big sums to make the fight happen, because they know, they can bring in the numbers. Garcia has just hinted at being the latter. His acumen as a boxer and his pre-fight shenanigans have made the job of ticket and PPV sales easier. Now, his weight advantage over Haney could as well bring him the big bucks.

In a series of X posts, he first wrote, “I feel great and I got a 3 pound advantage…Let’s gooo hahahahaa…Winners do what they have to do I’m still sharp.” In another post, Garcia remarked, “And no belt, congrats dummy…Belts dont feed your family.”

Do you think the extra 3.2 pounds will serve as an advantage to Ryan Garcia? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.