"Probably a controversial thing” - Eddie Hearn says he scored Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia as a draw in immediate review of the fight
Eddie Hearn did not agree with the judges' verdict for the much-anticipated clash between Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia, which took place on April 20.
Hearn, who works with 'The Dream' as his co-promoter, stated prior to the fight that he predicted Garcia to quit on the stool. His reasoning was based on the controversial behavior displayed by 'KingRy' in the lead up to the fight, which contributed to him being marked a +500 underdog ahead of the bout.
But the power and speed of Garcia were on full display from the opening bell as he cracked Haney with a left-hook that wobbled him in Round 1. The WBC super lightweight champion was then dropped three times, as well as being stunned on the feet on several occasions.
The judges awarded the victory to 'KingRy' via majority decision, with the scorecards reading 112-112, 114-110 and 115-109.
The Matchroom Boxing chairman was interviewed by Fight Hub TV following the bout, where he shared his immediate thoughts on the result, saying this:
"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."
Watch Eddie Hearn's interview below from 0:00:
Eddie Hearn and Ryan Garcia's father have heated exchange backstage before swiftly apologizing
Eddie Hearn had predicted that Ryan Garcia would quit on the stool against Devin Haney, and he was involved in a fiery exchange with Garcia's father following the bout, who had felt that his son had been disrespected ahead of the bout.
The Matchroom Boxing chairman was discussing the fight backstage following the result, and was caught on cameras going back and forth with Henry Garcia. After Hearn initially congratulated the elder-Garcia on his son's win, he was met with the following:
"That's what you get it. You're a piece of s**t!"
To which Hearn responded with:
"Oh really? F**k you!"
After exchanging more words, the pair visibly calmed down, with Henry Garcia saying this:
"I'm sorry about that, man... Give Ryan the respect... Thank you man."
Watch Eddie Hearn's heated exchange with Henry Garcia below: