Getty Image
Ryan Garcia stunned the boxing world with a major upset victory over Devin Haney over the weekend, and he apparently made a very solid payday on top of what he was already slated to earn by literally betting on himself before the bout.
In December, Ryan Garcia bounced back from the first loss of his professional boxing career at the hands of Gervonta Davis in April by knocking out Oscar Duarte in Houston. In February, he announced he’d agreed to face off against Devin Haney in Brooklyn, but there were plenty of questions about if it would actually come to fruition based on what transpired a few weeks later.
Plenty of people were alarmed by the string of conspiratorial posts that appeared on social media at the start of March after Garcia already caused some concern with his behavior on a live stream. He seemingly managed to sort out any issues he may have been dealing with, but a lot of skeptics didn’t think he was going to be adequately prepared.
Those doubts weren’t really put to rest when he weighed in at 3.2 pounds over the 140 lb. limit ahead of the fight and subsequently paid Haney $1.5 million after agreeing to fork over $500K for each pound he exceeded (the fact that he chugged a beer on the scale raised yet another red flag ahead of a fight where he was ultimately listed as a +600 underdog).
However, Garcia was able to go the distance with his opponent and ultimately walked away with the win via majority decision. That meant anyone who placed a bet on the boxer walked away with a very solid return on their investment—including Garcia himself, who hopped on Instagram on Monday to confirm reports that said he’d won $12 million after placing a $2 million bet on himself.
Ryan Garcia cashed out a $12M winning ticket from a leading gambling company this morning, after he bet $2M on himself to win last night.
— Boxing Kingdom (@BoxingKingdom14) April 22, 2024
If you’re curious, it doesn’t seem like there are any rules that prevent boxers from betting on themselves to win. As ESPN noted when Floyd Mayweather Jr. attempted to do the same in 2017, the state of Nevada permits that particular practice, and while Garcia vs. Haney took place in New York (where sports betting is legalized), I wasn’t able to find any information that suggested it’s not allowed.
Garcia suggested he made around $50 million in total thanks to the fight, which is certainly nothing to scoff at.