Ivan Redkach fined, suspended, loses $300,000 purse for biting Danny Garcia's neck
Boxer Ivan Redkach has been fined and suspended by the New York State Athletic Commission for biting his opponent Danny Garcia last Saturday during their title elimination fight at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Redkach’s boxing license will be suspended for a full year and he will have to pay the maximum fine of $10,000. He will also have to give up the $300,000 purse he earned from the fight, which seems like it might be a problem. According to a source who spoke to ESPN’s Dan Rafael, Redkach has already deposited his winnings check.
The bite occurred late in the eighth round. Garcia had been easily handling Redkach during the fight, and Redkach appeared to become so frustrated that he bit Garcia on the neck when the two were stuck in a clinch. The referee didn’t deduct any points from Redkatch for the bite, and Garcia still won the match by unanimous decision.
During his post-match interview with Showtime, Garcia was able to be pretty lighthearted about his opponent biting him.
"He bit me. He said 'Mike Tyson' when he bit me," Garcia said, via ESPN. "I said 'Ref, he bit me.' I thought I needed stitches or something. That's my first time ever getting bit in a fight. Things happen though. I've been in a street fight before, so I did it all."
The New York State Athletic Commission obviously wasn’t able to treat a biting incident with such humor and forgiveness. However, Redkach will be able to appeal the NYSAC’s decision, which could potentially reduce some of the penalties he was assessed.
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