Ryan Garcia stunned the oddsmakers and much of the boxing world when he dropped Devin Haney three times on the way to a majority decision win in Brooklyn at the weekend.
After a completely wild build-up which culminated in Garcia missing weight by three pounds and having to pay Haney $1.5 million, the fight exceeded all expectations.
Garcia's trusty left hook had Haney in desperate trouble at times and the former undisputed lightweight champion was perilously close to being stopped on several occasions.
MORE: Everything you need to know about Tszyu vs. Creati
You'll be hard pressed to find a more widely-discussed fight this year, as it seems everyone has an opinion on Garcia's performance, as well as his pre-fight antics.
We chatted to some of the boxers fight in Sydney on Wednesday night as Nikita Tszyu looks to defend his Australian super welterweight title against Danilo Creati.
Nikita Tszyu
8-0 super welterweight
“He pulled off the greatest heist of all-time, shocking the world, pretending that he’s mentally ill, pretending that he’s been drinking every single night.
“He had a good gameplan, bringing the fight to Devin. Usually people are trying to outbox Devin and Devin’s usually the bigger guy on the night and everything that Garcia did was just smart.
“Even the three pounds over, that $1.5 million investment into getting that little advantage played a big role. It’s just genius.
“It was a tactical move. I think he always knew that he wasn’t going to make that weight. He got to a point where he was struggling and he was like, ‘It’s not worth it, I’d rather pay it off.’
“But I think it was a smart move by them. I’d never let an opponent do that, if they don’t make the weight, then there’s no fight.”
Mateo Tapia
16-0 middleweight
“I didn’t think Garcia was going to do that but that’s boxing, that’s why we have to be prepared.
“I think he did well fooling the whole world. I guess it’s just a little mind game he played.
“You can never underestimate someone like that, too, he’s always had power. I just think Haney got caught with a good shot and that was it.”
Mason Smith
9-1-1 super welterweight
“Every time Garcia dropped him I literally jumped up and nearly hit the roof, I was so excited. It was the most exciting fight I’ve watched in such a long time.
“I thought Garcia was just incredible, I thought Haney was going to win that. All the guys at the gym asked me who’s going to win, I said, ‘Haney, no doubt.’ That’s the beauty of the sport, anything can happen on the night.
“I think Garcia was just strong. A lot stronger than Haney and, once he landed one or two, I think after the first knockdown, he was sort of smoked from there.”
Benjamin Hussain
10-2 super welterweight
“I thought it was terribly entertaining. I thought it was great but it was also bad but I enjoyed it.
“[Garcia] came in big and I think the size played the major factor in that fight, I honestly do and Devin looked a bit weird just throwing one-twos and he wasn’t throwing a lot.
“He got hurt in the first round and then he pulled off.”
Danilo Creati
8-1-1 super welterweight
“Boxing is a beautiful sport, so unpredictable. Nobody saw that coming.
“I think Ryan Garcia trolled everyone, making himself look not ready, crazy and obviously Devin Haney put his guard slightly lower and that what happens in boxing.”
George Rose
No Limit Boxing
“It was amazing. I love boxing for the fact that one punch can absolutely change anything and what happened in the Haney-Garcia fight was that. Garcia landed it, changed everything.
“I was out of my seat for most of the fight. When he landed that first punch, my natural reaction was to jump up and I was like, ‘Holy sh*t’.
“Devin Haney is a brilliant boxer, this is not meant to happen and he just kept landing and he dominated that fight.”
Glen Jennings
Tim Tszyu's manager
“Like the rest of the world, it was an absolute pleasure to watch, to see two guys go at it as they did and to see Ryan Garcia pull that out of the bag.
“I think it just once again reiterates that when you’ve got that natural power, it’s very hard to combat, even for a gifted fighter like Devin Haney, when you get hit, you get hit.
“Great for boxing, terrific for boxing and I hope it resonates throughout the world that there’s still great fights to be made.”
