The Ryan Garcia vs Devin Haney fight divided public opinion in many ways, from fighting style to race to religion. They settled their differences in the ring, but former world champ Bernard Hopkins made their beef continue after the final bell with a controversial religious remark mocking Haney’s beliefs.
Bernard Hopkins mocks Muslim Haney
As the cameras zeroed in on Ryan Garcia to announce him as the winner of the fight, Hopkins was on the edge of the screen provoking Devin Haney‘s dad and trainer, Bill Haney, by mocking his Islamic beliefs.
Hopkins yelled “Allahu Akbar” in Haney’s direction, with body language that did not suggest he was sending him an enlightening message with the phrase that means “God is the Greatest.”
The wildest part is that Hopkins himself converted to Islam, leaving viewers of the incident torn over his intentions and his credibility to hurl the phrase at Haney. However, if there was any doubt about his motive, it was erased when he followed the insult by trying to stop Ryan Garcia’s father from shaking Bill Haney’s hand.
The role of religion in Garcia-Haney fight
Like his dad, Devin Haney is a practicing Muslim. He came under fire for not fasting during Ramadan while he trained for the fight against Garcia, but he defended his beliefs against the criticism.
Meanwhile, Garcia battled his own demons in the buildup to the blockbuster fight. The 25-year-old was allegedly abducted with the captors leaving demonic messages on his social media accounts.
He repeatedly made religious references while hyping up the fight, such as his Instagram post three days before with the caption: “Come thru and watch me knock out the devil. 4/20 it’s over. JESUS LOVES YOU.”
Did Hopkins cross the line, or was this brewing all along? Either way, he found a way to keep the beef alive even after Garcia had done his talking in the ring.
