Do Not Judge Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia Referee Harvey Dock Before Watching His Previous Fights

Besides Ryan Garcia, one more man made the headlines as the storm at Barclays Center settled down. As the California native plummeted Devin Haney with his thunderous and heavy punches, referee Harvey Dock halted the action again and again. The fans blasted him, the pro fighters criticized him, and a few including Garcia himself, alleged that Dock robbed ‘KingRy’ of a KO win. But is it true?

Garcia, 25, left the arena as a victor, but the actions of Dock, especially in the later rounds, didn’t sit well with the fans. The fans pointed out one particular moment when Garcia had Haney rocked in the seventh round. But instead of allowing him to put an end to Haney’s wobbly legs and bury his face flat on the canvas, he took a point away from Garcia. Why? The Victorville native hit the WBC champion during the break. Was it all?

Harvey Dock’s supposedly awful calls at Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia

Many contested that Dock straightaway subtracted a point from Garcia without giving him a warning. The protocol usually followed is that you give a warning, deduct a point on the second count, and disqualify the boxer after two more offenses. That was pretty simple, but Dock strayed from it. A point deduction could also have cost the challenger the biggest win of his career.

Meanwhile, there were no warnings issued for the constant clinching ‘The Dream’ relied on to take a breather and recoup his energy. Dock also didn’t warn him when Haney didn’t end the clinch. However, nothing divided the fans like when he constantly stopped the action when the super lightweight champion was holding on for dear life after getting dropped to one knee.

Alycia Baumgardner called his actions “annoying,” while Jorge Masvidal believed Dock had himself put a bet into the fight. In addition, Dock didn’t count two knockdowns and shrugged them off as “slips.” Stephen A. Smith also slammed him for “horrible” officiating. How could he make such an awful mistake despite officiating in 364 fights? Or is it something that the fans don’t understand?

Was Dock in the wrong here?

What if Dock crumbled under the pressure and allure of the fight? That didn’t happen. He has officiated and called Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr. He was watching the action closely when Tim Tszyu failed to overcome the lanky Sebastian Fundora. Before that, he had seen the dominant display of Teofimo Lopez against Jamaine Ortiz. He also closely witnessed Saul Alvarez comfortably dismantling Jermell Charlo.

He hasn’t shied away from taking harsh calls previously, as he once penalized Janelson Figueroa Bocachica for spitting out his mouthpiece. Moreover, his call about Garcia was justified, even though it happened quickly. It was a foul, and he had the discretion to take a point away from Garcia. It was his call. And one thing that most boxing fans don’t understand is that it is the job of a referee to ensure that a fighter is not hurt badly and they don’t take any damage beyond what is necessary to win a fight.

Dock has held himself as a no-nonsense official in his previous fights. He tried to follow the same when he stepped inside the ring on Haney vs. Garcia. Despite his tough call, he didn’t have any influence on the scorecards.

What do you make of the actions of Harvey Dock during the fight between Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney? Let us know in the comments below.