Boxer Ryan Garcia’s hopes of contending for the super lightweight title in New York on Saturday were dashed after he failed to make weight for his fight against Devin Haney. But what’s making headlines is the $1.5 million wager Garcia made before the weigh-in.
Garcia and Haney agreed to owe each other $500,000 for every pound they were overweight. When Garcia stepped on the scale, he was 3.2 pounds over the limit, costing him a hefty $1.5 million.
Despite chugging a beer during the weigh-in, Garcia blamed “apple juice and sparkling water” for his weight issue in a post on social media. Haney confirmed that Garcia had indeed paid up on his promise.
The fight at Barclays Center will still go on, but Garcia will no longer be able to compete for Haney’s WBC title. The lead-up to the fight has been tumultuous, with an incident at the Empire State Building earlier in the week leading to the duo being pulled from throwing the first pitch at a New York Mets game.
Haney, with a perfect 31-0 record and 15 KO’s, will face off against Garcia, who boasts a record of 24-1 with 20 KO’s. Stay tuned for more updates on this high-stakes showdown.
