Ryan Garcia lost a $1.5 million bet to Devin Haney, insisting he would make weight for their WBC Super Lightweight title fight last weekend in Brooklyn. He didn’t, and was forced to cough up an undisclosed payout — payable directly to “The Dream” — to keep the fight intact.
More on that title-canceling debacle right here.
Garcia, 25, was rumored to have another bet in play, as well, laying down a staggering $2 million on himself before the fight. A recent Instagram post (embedded above) would suggest the rumors were true; however, without a betting slip it’s difficult to verify those claims — and perhaps even more difficult to believe them.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. tried a similar tactic ahead of his Conor McGregor fight back in summer 2017 and the “Sin City” sportsbooks told him to go pound sand. Anyone familiar with sports wagering understands you can’t just waltz up to the betting window with $2 million and walk away with a receipt.
Bookies are in the business of making money, not losing it.
That said, Garcia’s wacky antics leading up to the fight, which includes his beer-bombing behavior at the ceremonial weigh ins, had a lot of “experts” (like this former champ) convinced he was mentally unfit to compete against a fighter like Haney. Then came a commanding performance against “The Dream” and it appears the victorious Garcia had the last laugh.
Whether or not he had the last bet will remain an urban legend until proven otherwise.
As for the legality of betting on yourself, Nevada State Athletic Commission, as well as Nevada Gaming Control, do not have any specific regulations in place but sportsbooks will frequently decline any wager that smells fishy. In addition, betting on your own fight does carry a certain amount of risk, like a visit from these fine folks.
Just ask this broke bloke.