This Saturday’s headliner on DAZN PPV between WBC light welterweight champion Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia is one that attracted a lot of interest.
Ryan’s bizarre behavior during the build-up has caused fans and the media to question whether he’s really ready for the unbeaten Haney.
I have my own doubts about whether Ryan is mentally there, and I don’t believe it’s fake. He’s been exhibiting strange behavior since he pulled out of his fight with Javier Fortuna and took a break from the sport a couple of years ago.
Can Garcia Pull Off the Upset?
As much as I respect the power and hand speed of Ryan Garcia, it’s difficult for him to see a situation where he can win this fight. Although Haney says that he’s going to meet Ryan in the center of the ring and throw down with him, I don’t believe him.
Even if Haney is planning to fight in a toe-to-toe fight, once he tastes Ryan’s power, he’ll change his mind about that and revert to the safety-first style that we saw him use in his last four fights against Regis Prograis, Vasily Lomachenko and George Kambosos Jr. x 2.
If Haney does choose to slug, Ryan’s power gives him a chance of scoring a knockout of Haney just like we saw in his last contest against Oscar Duarte. Ryan was struggling badly in that fight when he turned things around with one punch in the eighth and finished off Duarte.
Haney is going to be a lot more difficult for Ryan to hit than Duarte, so it’s going to be hard for him to rally against him if he falls behind. If Haney wasn’t so defensive, Ryan would have an excellent chance of winning becaue his power and hand speed is far superior. Haney is not that fast, and his power is not there and never will be.
Prediction: Haney by a one-sided decision or late knockout.
“This is a Legal Homicide”
“He’s violated on so many different fronts and when you violate that bad in New York, there’s consequences and repercussions. I’m not smiling about what’s going to happen to him on April 20th,” said Bill Haney to the media about what’s in store for Ryan Garcia on Saturday against Devin Haney.
“I’m not smiling about what Devin is being sent in there to do. That’s just a formality. I’m sending Devin in there to go kill him literally,” said Bill when asked about the $500,000 per pound bet that Devin made with Ryan.
“I gave him the book, ‘Psychology for Dummies’ because that’s what he thinks we are. He thinks all of you guys are dummies, and he’s playing this art of war mind game, but the way he’s violated, Devin will demonstrate on April 20th.
“There’s nothing laugh-laugh or play-play what Devin is going to do to him in the center of the ring, period. Whatever Ryan is going to come and do, Devin does better. Devin is going to beat him at his own game. He says he wants to fight in front of the people in a fight that the New York people deserve because you don’t come here playing, and that’s just what he’s going to do.
Motivated by Disrespect
“He’s going to beat his a** on April 20th in Brooklyn in front of everybody,” Bill continued about what his son, Devin is going to do to Ryan. “All you got to do is all the antics and disrespects that he’s done and that’s what’s going to happen to the next opponent or any opponent after.
“This is what we have a standard of what we’re going to accept and what we’re going to go for an Ryan has stepped over the line numerous times and this is what it is. It’s going to be a legal homicide for all that suicide s*** that he did.
“I would say that boxing found Devin, and it was like a marriage between a cowboy finding his first horse, and they have been riding happy since then. We have one goal in mind to be the best ever that put on a pair of gloves.
“What’s better than the best fighter ever? Devin ‘The Dream’ Haney. I represent what Devin stands for, his business practices and morals, and that’s what this is. Eddie [Hearn] believed early on when we decided to do the deal with him, and you guys are seeing a manifestation of a lot of hard work.
“A lot of dedication and discipline to be the face of the sport, meaning crossing the platforms to make the fights happen. That means being accessible and being transparent and that’s what being the ‘Face of Boxing’ is.
“Like I said. A stoppage won’t be good enough for us. We want him to go to the hospital,” Bill said about Ryan. “We want him f**** u. We want him beat up and close to death. Listen, this is on DAZN, and this is an 18-and-over fight.
“Kids shouldn’t watch this unless they’re with their parents and they’re explained to it properly and responsibly. Other than that, you’re looking at a match where he’s being sent in to kill another man. That’s what Devin is being sent in to do to Ryan Garcia.
“When you’re upset, you’re upset. You’re not looking at how I got here. It’s about me feeling good, and I won’t feel good until Ryan Garcia is punished. I can’t think about nothing but April the 20th. It can’t come fast enough.
“The words weren’t strong when they were coming at us. I don’t want to hear nothing about it being strong. He’s going to get it and he’s going to be an example of when you f*** with the Haneys, this is what happens,” said Bill.
Boxing Experts Weigh In
“Hopefully, it’s a case of him promoting the fight, but he’s played so much that so many people are not giving him a prayer now. It could backfire where they don’t think he’s got a chance because they think he’s not serious,” said Ade Oladipo on the talkSport Boxing YouTube channel, referring to Ryan Garcia’s bizarre behavior during the buildup.
“I don’t know if he’s trying to sell the fight. I actually think he needs to stop because I feel like it’s doing the opposite now.”
“What I noticed about Haney is he’s growing all the time and he’s looking more like a man. He’s not looking like a boy so much anymore physically,” said Gareth Davies. “Here’s the thing. If Ryan Garcia gets roundly beaten in this contest, I think he’ll be very competitive for six rounds. That’s my feelings.
“There might not be such an appetite for him to have those big fights because of the loss to Tank Davis, the body shot, even though all the odds were stacked against him contractually. If Haney does a number on him on Saturday in New York, I think his lucre, I think his cache will be stripped away.
“I don’t see mega-fights out there for him for a while,” Davies said about Ryan.
“I completely agree with you. He’s a superstar, but ultimately, you need to be competitive in the ring if people want to see you fight if he does,” said Ade about Ryan. “We always wanted to see these guys mix it with each other. Teofimo, Shakur, Gervonta, Ryan.
“We also wanted to see them in competitive fights with each other, and if he [Ryan] were to get soundly beaten, and it looks like that’s the way it might go on Saturday with Devin, that could be it in terms of bums on seats PPV guy for Ryan, and that’s a shame and that could happen.
Devin Haney’s Impressive Record
“On Devin. I also feel like he doesn’t get his plaudits as much as he should. Here’s a guy that’s 25. He took himself to Mexico earlier in his career to have fights because he couldn’t get a pro license to fight in America because he was too young.
“He’s had 31 fights at 25 years of age, which doesn’t really happen anymore and you look at who he’s fought as well. Abdullaev, Regis Prograis, Vasily Lomachenko, Gamboa, George Kambosos, Jorge Linares and Ryan Garcia. He’s fighting the names. He’s going us what we want,” said Ade about Haney.
