Devin Haney doesn't feel Ryan Garcia has done anything to suggest he's at his level for the April 20th fight at the elite level.
WBC light welterweight champion Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) noted that Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) was the only one to put effort against elite-level fighter Gervonta “Tank” Davis. , Garcia stated that he quit after this match. His one knee resembles former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick's. During his playing days, he had a habit of kneeling instead of standing during the American national anthem.
Haney claims Garcia is below that level.
“I feel like I'm on a higher level than him. [Ryan Garcia]” Haney told DAZN Boxing. “I feel like when he fought at an elite level (losing to Gervonta), he quit. The world watched him take a knee and watched Colin Kaepernick.”
Haney's comparison of Ryan to Kaepernick suggests he views Ryan as lacking the toughness to endure when the fight gets tough.
Of course, the recent sparring video of Haney nearly being knocked out by Tank Davis and having to be saved by Adrien Broner doesn't say much about him.
Gervonta dominated Haney in a sparring session that was more like a massacre than a training session, and it was clear that he was on the level of the Baltimore native.
Definition of “elite level”
Haney has said Ryan isn't ready to reach an “elite level,” which suggests he considers himself that way. But has Haney, 26, accomplished enough in his career to be considered an elite-level fighter?
Can Haney be considered elite given the level of opposition he has faced during his professional career? Haney's win over talented former three-division world champion Vasily Lomachenko was controversial, and he looked much bigger than the 35-year-old two-time Olympic gold medalist.
It's no exaggeration to say that if Lomachenko was the same height and age as Haney and had quality judges been working, it would have been a one-sided victory for the Ukrainian talent. When you have a fighter hydrating 30 pounds and coming into the fight at mid-160 pounds, as Haney does, you're going to have a huge advantage against smaller opponents.
For Haney to truly become an elite-level fighter, he will need to beat the best fighters instead of choosing his opponents carefully.
For Haney to be classified as elite, he needs to be a fighter.
- Subriel Mathias
- Shakur Stevenson
- Jaron “Boots” Ennis
- Janibek Alimhanuri
- Tim Tze
- terrence crawford
- david benavides
- david morrell jr.
- Teofimo Lopez
- Gervonta Davis
Given that Haney is rehydrated to 165 pounds for the fight, he will have to fight larger opponents of similar size like Boots, Morel, Benavidez, Janibek, and Tszyu.
Is Garcia ready for Haney?
Ryan's fight with Tank Davis showed he wasn't ready as a power elite level fighter, and now the question is whether he's ready for the April 20th match with Haney. It's about being better prepared for it.
We've determined that Haney isn't an elite-level fighter yet, so we can conclude that without any debate, Ryan has a very good chance of winning this fight.
