- Israel Adesanya lost $20,000 on Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia
- Adesanya backed Haney to knock out his challenger
- But Garcia pulled off a surprise win in Brooklyn
Devin Haney’s surprise defeat to Ryan Garcia sent shockwaves through the boxing world, with many bettors left reeling after the stunning result.
And UFC superstar Israel Adesanya is sure to be reeling from a big loss in Saturday night’s fight.
Adesanya publicly backed reigning champion Haney ahead of the mega-fight in Brooklyn, showing off his betting slip to his 1.8 million followers on Twitter – now known as X.
The former middleweight champion backed Haney to knock out Garcia, betting $20,000 on the outcome.
If his prediction had come true, he would have pocketed just over $40,000.
Israel Adesanya lost a big bet in the Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia fight
Haney was stunned by the heavy underdog during their fight in Brooklyn
As it was, Garcia shocked Haney by winning on points, repeatedly beating the champion on his way to victory.
However, because Garcia weighs 3.2 pounds over the 140-pound weight limit, Haney remains the champion.
A dejected Haney took to social media to share his thoughts on his surprising defeat.
‘Alhamdulillah Allah is the perfect planner, he makes no mistakes. He fought like a true champion,” he said.
“Get up from the canvas and keep fighting. I’m 100% fine and would love to do it again while we both arrive.”
“God did it,” Garcia told screaming fans after dropping the heavily favored Haney three times en route to a majority decision win. “My Heavenly Father Jesus Christ, I give you all the glory.”
As for his bizarre antics leading up to the fight — disturbing behavior that ranged from flirting with reporters to threatening sexual violence against attendees at Friday’s weigh-in — well, that’s all Garcia did.
Garcia won on points after a turbulent pre-fight camp for the challenger
“Come on, guys, did you really think I was crazy?” Garcia asked the crowd after boxing’s biggest upset of 2024.
But even though all his antics were part of an elaborate act, Garcia was still in character early Sunday morning. At his post-fight press conference, he admitted that he drank every night leading up to the fight.
“I walked through the fire and still held it down and still beat damn Devin Haney,” he said alongside promoter Oscar De La Hoya. ‘And [I] still drank every day and I hit him. And I smoked. What the hell?’
Garcia’s revelation was met with applause from his entourage at the post-fight press conference, but he was quick to add that he’s “not necessarily proud of that.”