The two have fought six times as amateurs, with each winning three fights, but now the rubber match will take place at the professional level, with Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) defending the WBC super lightweight title against Ryan. will be defended. Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, live on DAZN pay-per-view.
Haney and Garcia are longtime rivals who have exchanged heated words both on social media and in person. On Saturday night, they will finally have a chance to settle their differences inside the squared circle.
Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, Gervonta “Tank” Davis, and Teofimo Lopez were dubbed the “New Big Four” as lightweights in 2021. Haney, Davis, and Lopez have all won multiple world titles, but Ryan Garcia has yet to win his first world title.
Because of his antics on social media, some boxing fans thought Garcia was extremely talented, but he wasn't dedicated to the sport. Garcia went out to prove his doubts wrong and on January 2, 2021, won the vacant WBC interim title with a seventh-round TKO win over former Olympic gold medalist Luke Campbell. .
After a below-average performance in his win over Emmanuel Tagoe, Ryan Garcia looked very impressive in his next fight with a sixth-round KO over Javier Fortuna. After taking control of Fortuna, Garcia felt ready to take on his fellow king.
On April 22, 2023, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Ryan Garcia stepped into the ring to face Gervonta “Tank” Davis. Garcia was aggressive and had some good moments, but unfortunately Davis landed a hard shot to the body and stopped him in the seventh round.
Eight months after suffering his first loss as a professional, Ryan Garcia returned to the ring for the first time as a super lightweight, stopping Oscar Duarte in eight rounds. After getting back on his winning track, Garcia turned his full attention to his old rival, also known as One of the Kings.
Devin Haney was criticized and laughed at when he was promoted from interim WBC champion to WBC world champion in October 2019. While battling Haney in a Twitter beef, Teofimo Lopez called Haney an email champion.
The joke was popular, but when Haney traveled to Melbourne, Australia and defeated George Kambosos Jr. to become the undisputed lightweight champion, Haney was the one who got the laughs.
Three months later, in October 2022, Haney gave Kambosos a rematch, and once again Haney soundly defeated Kambosos.
Devin Haney will successfully defend his undisputed lightweight title against former three-division champion Vasily Lomachenko.
Haney moved up to 140, gave Regis Prograis a boxing masterclass, won the WBC super lightweight title and became a two-division world champion.
Now 25 years old, Devin Haney is ready to make his first title defense against his longtime rival. Haney is a ring technician with an elite jab, perfect timing, excellent punch placement, and a wealth of ring intelligence.
His opponent, 25-year-old Ryan Garcia, is a talented fighter who needs to prove he can step up to the plate and win big matches. Garcia is a boxer with quick hands and a deadly weapon known as his signature left hook.
Ryan Garcia is a talented boxer with star quality but no track record, and Devin Haney has praise but is not popular. Garcia needs a win to prove his legitimacy, and Haney needs a win to maintain his momentum and further increase his notoriety.
While Haney has been more focused since the fight was officially announced, Garcia continued to display erratic behavior in social media posts and videos. At the official weigh-in, Garcia chugged a beer while standing on the scale, and he weighed 3.2 pounds over the weight limit.
Garcia later claimed that the strange behavior on the scale was a prank and that he had actually been drinking a mixture of apple juice and soda water. By missing his weigh-in, Garcia would end up losing more than $1 million and losing his chance to win his first world title.
For the past few years, Devin Haney has been on a mission. Ryan Garcia looked the same at one point, but lately he seems to have gone off course.
When it comes to Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia, Haney is the better boxer and (-910) favorite, but Ryan Garcia is one left hook away from shocking the world. It's a live dog.
