WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman has explained why Devin Haney remains the WBC super lightweight champion despite a defeat to Ryan Garcia.
Confusion reigned as many top figures in the sport believed Haney could no longer keep the strap. This information filtered down to the fans, some of whom could not explain why Haney was still a world ruler.
Sulaiman addressed the issue on his first podcast and urged those who were unsure to read the WBC Rules and Regulations.
“Let’s make this very clear: Devin Haney is the WBC super lightweight champion because the rules are very clear. If the champion makes weight and the challenger does not make weight, the challenger cannot win the title. If the champion does not make weight, he immediately loses the title. But if the challenger makes weight and he wins the fight, he becomes the new champion,” said Sulaiman.
“Ryan Garcia did not make weight, Devin did, and they fought over the weight, and the rules are very clear. We did this with Corrales and Castillo in the second bout. There’s precedent, so there is no confusion; you just have to read a little bit of the rules.”
Garcia dropped Haney three times before completing a majority decision verdict at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. “KingRy” is now in the big time as one of the most recognizable boxers in the world.
Haney is urged to take some time, potentially the rest of the year, to recover from what was a brutal beating in four of the twelve rounds. His face swelled, and blood flowed from his mouth as the fighter once compared to Floyd Mayweather had to stomach losing his unbeaten record.
“The Dream” does remain a champion, though, and has a mandatory lined up against Sandor Martin when he’s ready for his comeback.
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