Ryan Garcia didn’t just defeat Devin Haney last Saturday night. He erased the delusion that Haney was the best boxer in the 140-pound division. However, ‘The Dream’ Haney is still allowed to retain his belt, meaning despite tasting the canvas three times, he will remain the WBC super lightweight champion. But why?

To put it plainly, Ryan Garcia weighed in 143.2 lbs in the final weigh-ins, 3.2 lbs heavier than the stipulated limit. So, on April 21, Mauricio Sulaiman, the WBC president announced, “…with the challenger not making weight, Haney remains WBC champion.” While Garcia doesn’t seem to care as much, Devin Haney started celebrating not losing his belt. And boy, did the fans not like the move! 

Why is Devin Haney allowed to keep his belt?

Earlier today, Happy Punch took to X, sharing a clip from Haney’s escapades the night earlier. They captioned the tweet, “Devin Haney out last night celebrating Ryan Garcia being ineligible to take his belt.” Following his devastating first career loss, the outing must come as a change of pace for the champion. But it begs the question, why wasn’t his belt stripped?

Well, following Sulaiman’s announcement on X, a user posed the same question to the WBC president and got a stinging answer. Sulaiman wrote, “How about you learning the rules? They are public and have always been. Castillo didn’t make weight vs Castillo II, Corrales remained as champion.” Quick Note: In this scenario, it’s up to the WBC to decide the fate of the belt, who ultimately ruled in favor of allowing Haney to retain it. Regardless, Haney still had to take the brunt of public dissatisfaction after the clip came to light. 

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Fan suggests Haney should get a tattoo

Despite criticism, the event was a smash hit with the fight instantly turning into the talk of the town. So, when Haney’s celebration clip came to light, many were left bamboozled with the move. One user suggested Devin Haney was shameless for celebrating the belt despite the brutal loss. However, it’s worth noting that it could have been to take Haney’s mind off the loss. 

Another user thought Haney was trying his best to cope with his devastating loss by celebrating the belt. For the most part, it did seem like that, but the best way to cope with it would be through fighting Garcia again. 

Someone else suggested Haney should get the 3 pounds tattooed on him, which prevented Garcia from becoming eligible for Haney’s belt. But wouldn’t that be a stark reminder of the loss?

The next user compared Haney’s celebrations with a little kid’s participation cake that is given to everyone. 

While everyone was leaving nasty responses, this user seemed okay with Haney’s celebrations, suggesting he was still human. However, the user recognized that Haney’s no longer the champion, regardless of whether he keeps the belts. 

The dust from the Saturday night fight has already settled, but Devin Haney can’t seem to catch a break. However, it would be interesting to see what’s in store for the former undisputed champion. What do you think?