- Ryan Garcia’s strange behavior on social media worried fans before the fight
- Garcia weighed over three pounds, making him ineligible to win the WBC title.
- DailyMail.com provides the latest international sports news.
Ryan Garcia’s unusual ways continued in the Barclays Center locker room as Mike Tyson stopped hours before his fight with Devin Haney on Saturday night.
During the preliminary fights, DAZN’s coverage featured Garcia and Haney’s backstage preparation as they prepare to take the ring on the main card.
Garcia, whose strange social media activity has fans worried in the build-up, added another layer to the intrigue by breaking into classical music. The Victorville, California, native had a string quartet playing while he stretched and had his hands bandaged.
Shortly after, García posted a video of Tyson walking through his dressing room while the musicians were putting together their preparation.
“Thanks Mike for showing you,” Garcia captioned the video in which he congratulated the boxing legend and told him he would be attending Tyson’s fight against Jake Paul in July.
Mike Tyson stopped by Ryan Garcia’s locker room before his fight with Devin Haney
Garcia’s unusual behavior continued with a string quartet playing during his warm-ups.
On the other hand, Haney was calm as he approached another big fight when Tyson visited his camp on the opposite side of the arena.
While Garcia seemed irritated by the theatrics that followed him into fight night, backstage footage of The Dream showed the WBC super lightweight champion looking stoic and focused.
Garcia comes into Saturday’s fight with a 24-1 record that includes 20 knockouts. After suffering his only loss to Gervonta Davis in April 2023, Garcia bounced back with a knockout victory over Oscar Duarte in December.
On the other hand, Haney is undefeated with a record of 31-0 in 15 finals. Haney is coming off four consecutive big wins: two against George Kambosos Jr. in 2022 and a victory over Visiliy Lomachenko and Regis Prograis in 2023.
Garcia weighed three pounds over the weight limit, disqualifying him for the WBC title.
Additionally, Garcia paid Haney $1.5 million after agreeing to pay $500,000 for each extra pound.
Haney and Garcia fought six times as amateurs and went 3-3 before finally meeting in the professional ranks.
With many questioning his preparation and concentration due to his antics, Garcia turned up the heat in his already hot seat when he lost weight by three pounds. His weight loss means Garcia is ineligible for the title if he wins the fight.
Additionally, Garcia paid Haney $1.5 million after agreeing to pay $500,000 for each pound over the limit. Haney and Garcia discussed the deal during Thursday’s news conference.