Devin Haney’s controversial practice of weighing in well over his contracted limit on fight day has hit the headlines recently due to the Ryan Garcia saga.
Garcia claims Haney is a weight bully who regularly defeats opponents weaker than himself. ‘KingRy’ stated his rival got a taste of his own medicine when an overweight Garcia dropped him three times on April 20.
The Golden Boy star even called for an investigation into the practice, which was flagged after Haney defeated Regis Prograis in San Francisco. California state rules say a boxer cannot exceed 15% of the contracted weight on fight night. It’s reported that Haney was 18% at 165 pounds for a super lightweight bout [140].
Devin Haney rehydrating questioned
Garcia said, “Why aren’t the governing bodies of boxing and WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBF looking into how Devin cheated in most of his fights by ballooning up over the legal weight gain?
“Double standards,” he added.
Victor Conte oversees the Haney nutrition program as part of SNAC supplements. He says anyone who believes the former WBC champion was that much over the limit isn’t considering all the possibilities.
“Enough ignorant talk about Devin Haney coming in 25 lbs over for the [limit for the] Regis Prograis fight. Understand that on fight night, when boxers briefly step on the scale, they have long-sleeved shirts, pants, and shoes on with who knows what all in their pockets. These weights are not precise,” pointed out Conte.
It’s unlikely that kind of talk will deter Haney’s detractors from no longer believing that to be true, but nobody can knock Conte for how much he backs up his clients.
Dana White backs Ryan Garcia
One man backing Garcia in his fight against being known as a drug cheater is Dana White. The UFC boss recently said a tainted supplement wronged Garcia and that he doesn’t believe he cheated.
After seeing White’s comments, Garcia has responded since then. “Experts from all sports and categories understand I was cheated, and it was tainted. So, everyone who weighs in acting as they know should let people who understand this speak. You have to understand Dana White has real experts in this field,” stated the Californian.
A one-year suspension from the New York State Athletic Commission has no means for Garcia to appeal, as per the agreement to keep the ban shorter than usual. Therefore, Garcia will not be able to compete until April 20, 2025, when that runs out.
He’s since stated he wants to try his hand at UFC under White’s combat banner. However, due to the ongoing suspension, Garcia won’t be sanctioned for fighting in any form.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
