Ryan Garcia’s trainer claims it would have been better for Devin Haney to have lost by KO after seeing swollen face
Devin Haney would have benefited by being knocked out against Ryan Garcia following his points loss where he was dropped three times.
That is the opinion of Garcia's trainer Derrick James, who believes Haney will find it hard to recover following his majority decision defeat.
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It was an epic encounter during which Haney resiliently survived and battled until the final bell, but was seen with huge swelling around his jaw in his post-fight interview.
And after seeing the damage first hand on the night, James has insisted it would have been better if the WBC super-lightweight champion was blasted out early.
He said: “It's good for Ryan. I'm happy for him. He really beat him up bad.
"Did you see Haney’s [swollen] face? It was crazy [how dominant he was]. I didn't believe it.
Read MoreOn Haney vs Garcia
“I think it would have been better for [Haney] to get knocked out [early] because it's going to be hard to recover from getting beat up like that.
"He's a good fighter. He'll be back. He's still young. He can be hungry. He's 25. The game plan was always about taking everything from [Haney].
"Once I saw Ryan bring the jab and walk to him, he retreated and opened Haney up.”
Garcia had claimed shortly after the fight that he had broken Haney's jaw, which would have been no surprise given the evident damage.
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But in a health update after the defeat, Haney insisted that his jaw remained in tact, and that he was ready for a rematch this year.
He wrote on social media: “Fought like a true champion. Got up off the canvas & kept fighting. I am 100 per cent okay and would love to do it again while we both make weight.
Fans worry as Ryan Garcia chugs beer on the scales at weigh-in and misses weight for title fight against Devin Haney
“I have no broken anything by the way, like I said I’m OK.
“Same way you dish be able to take it. I will be back.”
Haney preserved his WBC belt after Garcia missed weight, which meant he was unable to defend his crown.
'King Ry' is now hot property in the sport, and will likely receive a sea of challenges in the coming weeks.
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