Harvey Dock, a veteran referee with a distinguished history in boxing, found himself at the center of controversy during the recent majority decision victory of Ryan Garcia over Devin Haney. Despite generally being regarded as one of the top referees in the sport, Dock faced significant criticism for his performance during this high-stakes bout.
Dock’s journey in boxing began as an amateur, where he achieved considerable success. He was a two-time New Jersey Amateur Boxing Champion in 1993 and 1994 and also secured the Region 1 Amateur Championship in 1994.
About Harvey Dock
His achievements in that year culminated with a victory in the 156-pound open division at the New Jersey Golden Gloves, earning him the title of 1994 New Jersey Hall of Fame Amateur Boxer of the Year.
Though his professional fighting career was brief, consisting of a single bout in 1997 which he won by unanimous decision, Dock has made significant contributions to the sport as a promoter and judge, and most notably, as a referee.
Since starting his officiating career in 2004, Dock has refereed 346 professional bouts, becoming one of the sport’s most recognizable figures, particularly in title fights and super bouts, according to his BoxRec profile.
However, his role in the Haney vs. Garcia fight drew criticism from multiple corners, including MMA fighter Demetrious Johnson.
Johnson expressed his disappointment through a video on his Instagram, criticizing Dock’s handling of the fight. He commented on the excessive clinching and perceived leniency shown by Dock towards Haney, which he believed affected the outcome of the fight:
“The thing that was very frustrating about this fight is that the referee kept Haney in that fight I felt like. Haney is hanging on to him and then next thing you know he does a double leg takedown and then the ref is like, ‘stop holding him’. It’s like, ‘time, you stop holding and you stop holding, fight!’ It’s like, dude, you just gave him like 15-20 seconds of a rest. You stopped Ryan’s momentum to finishing him.”
Ryan Garcia also voiced his frustrations via Twitter, hinting that a potential knockout win was thwarted by the referee’s decisions:
“Woke up sad thinking people should’ve got that Ko bet Ref that 7th round should’ve been stopped Point deduction wasn’t warranted, never received a warning Crazy man 🤷♂️”
Despite the criticisms, the bout concluded with Garcia securing a victory, although he was unable to claim the WBC super lightweight title due to missing weight. Dock’s officiating on that night remains a topic of debate among fans and analysts alike.
