“Ryan Fighting Two People Inside That Ring”: Oscar De La Hoya Addresses Controversy Surrounding Referee for Devin Haney Fight

Ryan Garcia is a controversy magnet! However, this controversy wasn’t his fault. Last weekend, the Victorville native took on Devin Haney in Brooklyn, New York. In a stunning upset, ‘The Flash’ Garcia outclassed the former undisputed lightweight champion with style and finesse. However, it almost didn’t happen and Oscar De La Hoya doesn’t seem happy about it! 

Not to mention, Garcia missed out on the opportunity to knock out Devin Haney outright! How? Well, when Garcia landed a critical hit on Haney in the seventh round, Harvey Dock, the referee in charge, promptly paused the fight and deducted a point from Garcia for punching after he had called for a break. Something the referee got a lot of backlash for. Meanwhile, when Garcia’s promoter was asked about the same in an interview today, even he had a lot to say!

Oscar De La Hoya reveals the “mind-boggling” aspect of the fight

Speaking to the head of Goldenboy Promotions, a reporter from Fight Hub TV probed him about the controversy surrounding Harvey Dock and the point deduction. In response, Oscar said, “I think he had a very interesting night. One judge [gave] it a draw, which is mind-boggling.” Reflecting on Dock’s performance, Oscar didn’t hold back his criticism.

“The referee, you know he could have done a better job. He could have maybe been neutral instead of Ryan fighting two people inside that ring [on the same] night,” said Oscar. Despite what the referee did, or failed to do, Ryan Garcia went on to knockdown Haney three times during the fight. It not only got him the majority decision to win but also proved his superiority over his long-time rival.

It wasn’t just Oscar De La Hoya. Even Ryan Garcia found himself posting on X about Dock’s abysmal performance. However, Garcia wasn’t alone. His post was followed by a chorus of critics, who felt Dock did a less than satisfactory job. 

American TV presenter grills Harvey Dock for the Ryan Garcia fight

After the fight concluded, many took to social media to bash the referee, including Demetrious Johnson and others. However, no one was quite as savage as Stephen A. Smith, whose words must have stung Dock. In a X post dated 21 April, the popular TV presenter began his criticism, saying, “This referee is absolutely terrible.”

He then added, “Ryan Garcia drops Haney. He’s hurt as hell, holding [onto] Garcia for dear life, forcing Garcia to punch in the clinch. The ref pauses action to deduct [a] point — no warning. Utter bulls**t. Garcia drops Haney again twice — yet ref calls both a slip. Unreal! Horrible officiating.”

With that said, the Ryan Garcia vs. Devin Haney fight turned out to be bad for Haney, but even worse for Harvey Dock, whose name is being dragged through the mud. That being said, it was most likely a bad day at the office for Dock and he didn’t make those mistakes on purpose. Do you agree? Or should there be an internal investigation into the referee?