(Editor’s note: This article was first published on Boxing Junkie, part of the USA TODAY Network.)
Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia have a lot in common, but they couldn’t be more different.
The fighters, who will compete for Haney’s 140-pound title on pay-per-view in Brooklyn on Saturday, are both 25 years old and talented. Both are from California. Both men had strong amateur careers, including six fights. They each won three times.
Both became popular professional fighters, with millions of dollars in their bank accounts to prove it.
So what’s the difference? Where do I start?
Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) is a two-division titleholder who is coming off a string of impressive wins over top-tier opponents, including a shutout of Regis Prograis in December to win the belt. – Climbed the four-pound list. .
The San Francisco native owes his success to his mental strength and discipline, which allows him to make the most of his talents. He could be No. 1 pound-for-pound one day.
Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) is at least as fast as Haney, probably faster, and he definitely has a more powerful punch than his rival, as his knockout percentage shows. He also has some significant wins, including knockouts of Luke Campbell and Javier Fortuna.
However, unlike Haney, he only failed when facing pound-for-pound level opponents. Gervonta Davis stopped him with a body shot in the seventh round.
And perhaps more importantly, Garcia, who has acknowledged mental health issues, seems to be as emotionally vulnerable as Haney is stable and tough. Many believe that weakness will be his undoing if he steps through the ropes on Saturday night.
The social media star has engaged in erratic behavior such as taking bizarre shots at celebrities and claiming to know the person who murdered rapper Tupac Shakur, to name two examples. There is. He also posted an image of himself smoking what appeared to be marijuana just seven weeks before the fight, which he admitted was a mistake.
The next day, at a press conference in Los Angeles, my first red flag went up. There, he admitted that he has his flaws and that stardom might be difficult for a 25-year-old to navigate.
“Sometimes it feels like the weight of the world is on your shoulders,” he says.
That’s definitely true, but at the same time, it’s a strange comment considering that most fighters try to express strength rather than weakness heading into a match.
Haney asked Garcia multiple times during the press conference if he intended to play in the fight, and he seemed sincere. Garcia didn’t react, which was strange.
Is Garcia in trouble before he steps into the ring?
Well, Haney is about a 6.5-to-1 favorite (averaged across multiple outlets), which is a huge spread considering Garcia’s pedigree. Oddsmakers clearly believe Haney’s combination of ability and laser focus will be too much for a mentally weaker challenger.
Garcia might be able to fool us. Again, he also has his abilities and his own natural talents. And he has overcome obstacles in the past.
For example, he got up from a knockdown to stop the talented Campbell and proved to be resilient. And he returned from a difficult 15-month layoff to deal with mental challenges with strong performances against Emmanuel Tagoe and Fortuna.
Stranger things have happened in boxing than a strange, seemingly distracted fighter defeating a champion.
Garcia claims he has improved as a fighter after training with Derrick James, whom he admires. And he suggested that there was a solution to his own madness.
“I can’t deny all the work Derrick and I have put in,” he said Wednesday. “My technique is improving, my hands are up, my jaw is down. What do you guys say? Social media is all just noise. When I post something, people think I’m crazy You’ll think that’s strange.
“I know what I’m doing.”
Let’s take a look.
This is a big challenge for him. Again, Haney has all the ability in the world and is as crazy as anyone in boxing. He’s rolling. We can only guess what Garcia will bring to the ring.
Like boxing? Be sure to visit and follow Boxing Junkie for all of our sweet science coverage. @Boxing Junkie 2 On Twitter.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and other content with mixed martial arts fans.
