Eddie Hearn's prediction for Devin Haney's comeback does not sit well with Oscar De La Hoya - "That beating will last for a while"
Oscar De La Hoya took a dig at Eddie Hearn after the British sports promoter made Devin Haney's comeback prediction.
Ryan Garcia was slated to face Haney for the WBC super lightweight title on April 20. However, Garcia was 3.2 pounds underweight and could not become the champion even if he won, making it a non-title fight.
Despite losing his title hopes, the 25-year-old entered the fight with intensity and gave Haney everything he had. For extended periods, 'The Dream' had the upper hand in the fight, but Garcia delivered much more damage, dropping Haney down multiple times over the 12-round match.
Garcia ultimately prevailed via majority decision (112-112, 115-109, 114-110), giving Haney his first defeat as a professional boxer. His greatest victory to date was a major surprise because Haney was a favorite going into the fight.
Check out Ryan Garcia getting his hand raised below:
Following the fight, Hearn took to Instagram and motivated Haney for a great comeback, writing:
''The road is long. This Young man will be back stronger than ever.''
In response De La Hoya mocked Hearn, citing the latter's lack of boxing experience. Under the post, he wrote:
''You obviously never laced up the gloves. Just like DonKing and the rest. You don't know what it's like to fight inside a ring. Guess what? I do and that beating will last for a while.''
Check out Oscar De La Hoya's response under Eddie Hearn's post below:
Garcia was ineligible to win Haney's WBC belt because he did not meet the weight requirements. Both boxers requested a rematch following the fight, although Garcia will most likely return sooner than Haney, who suffered significant damage in their clash.
Eddie Hearn claims that he scored Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia as a draw
Eddie Hearn, Devin Haney's co-promoter, disagreed with the judges' decision in the highly anticipated fight between Haney and Ryan Garcia on April 20.
Two out of three judges scored the fight in favor of 'KingRy' with scores of 112-112, 114-110, and 115-109, indicating a majority decision.
In an interview with Fight Hub TV after the fight, the Matchroom Boxing chairman expressed his initial reaction to the outcome, saying:
"I thought Devin boxed really poorly. But he got hurt in the first round. I don't know how quickly he recovered. It's probably a controversial thing and I guess I'm on Devin's side, but I actually scored the fight a draw. I gave him the last round for it to be a draw. I don't think you could have ever given [Haney] the fight, at all."
Check out Eddie Hearn's comments below (0:29):