Ryan Garcia Shocks The World, Defeats Devin Haney

After months of enduring ridicule and scorn from so-called experts who gave who him no shot at victory, Ryan “Kingry” Garcia (25-1, 20 KOs) shocked the world Saturday night in Brooklyn, flooring Devin “The Dream” Haney (31-1, 15 KOs) three times en route to a majority decision victory, capping an action-packed Golden Boy Promotions card at the Barclay’s Center.

Garcia of Victorville, Calif. rocked Haney in the middle of the first round with a left hook and rolled through the back of the half of the fight to secure the decision by scores of 115-109, 114-110 and 112-112.

“I shouldn’t have put too much pressure on myself to stop him, because every time I hurt him, I went crazy and I couldn’t stop him,” said Ryan Garcia. “I think the ref should’ve stopped the fight. He (Haney) was really hurt. I felt bad, I even looked at Bill to stop the fight. [Regarding the point being deducted in seventh round] The guy was holding me for dear life, and I felt the opportunity to keep swinging while my hands were free. I should’ve knocked him out that seventh round. They stole that from me. I’m surprised he has so much heart and recovery. He got wobbled bad in the first round. I thought it was over. He even hurt me with a hook. At the end of the day, I’m going to fight him, win or lose.”

“Ryan just shocked the world and proved once and for all that he is the face of boxing and a pound-for-pound athlete in our sport,” said Golden Boy Promotions Chairman Oscar De La Hoya. “Despite all of the talk from armchair psychologists and so-called boxing pundits, Ryan clearly had a plan and executed it.”

In a co-main event for the WBO Intercontinental Super Lightweight Title, Arnold Barboza, Jr. (30-0, 11 KOs) defeated Sean 'The Public Nuisance' McComb (18-2, 5 KOs) via split decision in a back and forth 10-round fight that went the distance. McComb fought off his back foot the whole night as Barboza Jr. slowly tried to get in. Ultimately the fight ended in Barboza’s favor with the judges scoring the fight 96-94 and 97-93 in Barboza’s favor and 92-98 in McComb’s favor.

“I felt good. It was a very tricky fight,” said Arnold Barboza Jr., “He was a lefty, tall and he moved a lot. He gave me a lot of trouble, but it was a learning experience. I’ll be back better. We’re going to talk to Oscar and see what’s next.”

Retaining his WBA Intercontinental Super Middleweight Title, Bektemir “Bully” Melikuziev (14-1, 10 KOs) went to war with Frenchman Pierre Dibombe (22-1-1, 12 KOs) in a fight scheduled for 10-rounds. The nonstop action left both fighers cut with battle scars; the corner doctor stopping the fight due to a deep gash over Melikuziev’s eye caused by an accidental headbutt. The judges went to the scorecards, awarding the “Bully” the technical decision victory with scores of 79-73, 78-74 and 79-73.

“He was a good opponent. Unfortunately, the fight was stopped,” said Bektemir Melikuziev. “During the fight he kept coming forward with his head. There was nothing I could do. I just needed another minute or two in the ring to finish the fight. I slowed down a bit because I felt that my opponent was getting tired.”

David “Medallita” Jimenez (16-1, 11KOs) of Cartago, Costa Rica pulled off an upset win against fan favorite John “Scrappy” Ramirez (13-1, 9 KOs) of Los Angeles, Calif. claiming the WBA Interim Super Featherweight Title via unanimous decision in a 12-round grudge match. Jimenez won with scores of 111-117, 112-116 and 111-117 all in his favor.

“I am very happy to become a champion again. I want to thank Golden Boy for the opportunity,” said David Jimenez. “I am ready to plan for what’s next. I felt great in the ring, and I felt like I was controlling the fight from the second round. Scrappy has a good punch and is a good boxer. Like all fighters, I want to become undisputed.”

Charles "Bad News" Conwell (19-0, 14 KOs) of Cleveland, Ohio opened the DAZN PPV card in spectacular fashion as he stopped Nathanial Gallimore (22-8-1, 17 KOs) of Des Plaines, Illinois in the sixth round via TKO in a super welterweight fight originally scheduled for 10 rounds. Conwell won the fight with a time of 0:52 of the aforementioned round.

“I feel good,” said Charles Conwell. “It was the coming back party. I thought he was a tough-game fighter. He came with a lot of experience, but I did what no other fighter has done. I stopped him in the sixth round. I don’t think any other fighter has beat him as bad as I did. He was a tough fighter and I appreciate him for taking the fight. We’re looking to get back in the ring asap, sometime in July or August. I’m back in the gym getting better. The ring rust is off. We’re ready for what’s next.”

On the preliminary card, Sergiy “The Technician” Derevyanchenko (15-5, 10 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York defeated Vaughn Alexander (18-11-1, 11 KOs) of St. Louis, Missouri via unanimous decision in a 10-round Super Middleweight bout. Derevyanchenko won with scores of 100-89 by all three judges. Darius “DFG” Fulghum (11-0, 10 KOs) of Houston, Texas successfully defended his WBA Continental Super Middleweight Title against Cristian Olivas (22-11, 19 KOs) of Baja California, Mexico stopping him in the fourth round via TKO in a fight originally scheduled for eight-rounds. Fulghum won with a time of 0:50 of the aforementioned round.

Also a part of the preliminaries, Jonathan “Sugar Cane” Canas (4-0, 2 KOs) of Houston, Texas beat Markus Bowes (2-6, 2 KOs) of Roxboro, North Carolina via unanimous decision in a 4-round Super Lightweight bout. Canas won with scores of 40-36 by all three judges. Amari Jones (12-0, 11 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada beat Armel Mbumba-Yassa (10-2, 7 KOs) of Remscheid, Germany via TKO in the sixth round of an 8-round Super Middleweight fight. Jones won with a time of 0:39 in the aforementioned round. In a dazzling KO, Kevin Newman II (16-3-1, 1 KO) of Las Vegas, Nevada stopped Eric Robles (9-4, 8 KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico via TKO in the fourth round of an 8-round Cruiserweight fight. Newman II won with a time of 1:53 in the aforementioned round. Opening fight night, Shamar Canal (8-0, 4 KOs) of Albany, New York defeated Pedro Borgaro (7-2, 4 KOs) of Sonora, Mexico via unanimous decision in a six-round super lightweight bout with scores of 60-53.