Sports

Boxers pulled from throwing first pitch at Mets game after earlier altercation at Empire State Building

The lead-up to the Devin Haney-Ryan Garcia fight at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center has led to numerous promotional events throughout New York this week, but two have already gone awry.

Haney and Garcia were originally slated to fight for the WBC junior welterweight title Saturday night, but Garcia weighed in three pounds over the maximum 140-pound limit. The fight is still on, but a belt will not be up for grabs.

Nonetheless, the two had a promo event at the Empire State Building Tuesday, and they had to be separated in front of numerous cameras.

Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney

Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia face off at the Empire State Building April 16, 2024, in New York City. (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust)

The incident was apparently enough for the New York Mets to cancel plans to have the duo throw out the first pitch later that night.

According to Garcia’s camp, via the New York Post, Mets security was concerned about the ruckus earlier in the day. So, the Mets nixed the plans out of fear of another altercation.

Garcia apparently had thrown warmup pitches and met members of the Mets with “everything running smoothly.” 

The Post reported that “Garcia’s camp said that only Garcia, Haney and Garcia’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, would be allowed on the field to avoid another fracas and that both boxers were instructed to be on their ‘best behavior’ while on the field. 

Ryan Garcia

Ryan Garcia during a weigh-in at Barclays Center April 19, 2024, in New York City.  (Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images)

“Garcia’s camp further claimed that Haney was incensed when told the first pitch was not happening and left the stadium, but Garcia was still willing to throw the first pitch himself.”

The Mets apparently said that De La Hoya would be allowed to throw the pitch, but he declined, and Garcia left shortly after.

“The Mets just wasted three hours of our lives to say at the end we can’t throw the pitch for whatever reason. … There was no reason. They kicked us out for no reason,” Garcia said in a video on X.

“F— the Mets. Don’t ever go to a f—ing Mets game again.”

The Mets have not responded to a request for comment.

Garcia-Haney weigh in

Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia face off during a weigh-in at Barclays Center April 19, 2024, in New York City.  (Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images)

Garcia promised he would pay $500,000 for each pound he weighed in overweight, and Haney says Garcia paid out $1.5 million.

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