Undefeated WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney is scheduled to defend his title against longtime rival Ryan Garcia this Saturday, April 20th, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Devin and Ryan have met six times as amateurs, going 3-on-3, and know each other well.
This bout will decide the fight and the winner will advance to the championship against other division champions Subriel Matias, Isaac Cruz and Teofimo Lopez.
Ryan Garcia took an unconventional approach to Devin Haney by picking a fight and using psychological warfare.
His antics are both comical and disturbing. At yesterday’s final press conference, his persona emerged as a mix of Mike Tyson and Conor McGregor. Ryan has repeatedly questioned Devin’s masculinity via social media, and on Tuesday, Devin angrily shoved Ryan in the face on the roof of the Empire State Building, which appears to have had some effect on him.
On Saturday, Ryan will have to do more math. He’s a technical boxer with great lateral movement and a great jab. He has to find a way to cut the ring and negate Devin’s jab. Jorge Linares, Joseph Diaz, and Vasily Lomachenko were all competitive against Haney. They found a way to close the distance and challenge Haney.
At Thursday’s press conference, Haney said he would face Ryan in the center of the ring. If this is true, Garcia could legitimately face Haney.
Against Linares and Diaz, Haney showed weakness in defense on the left side. Linares landed multiple check hooks and Diaz connected with several overhand lefts. Garcia’s best punch is the left hook, which also has good speed and power.
If he can effectively block Haney’s jab with parries and slips, he will be able to weaken Devin’s attack and create an opening for him to land a left. Against Diaz, Haney was only able to land 24 more punches.
In his last fight against Regis Prograis, Devin looked very impressive, but what many forget is that the 34-year-old Devin had a similar performance against Danielito Zorilla, punching less It means that he connected with 42 low punches. This is only 6 fewer punches than his 36 punches (Compubox) against Devin.
If Devin Haney can utilize his lateral movement more effectively than expected, it will give Ryan more mobility and create an offensive challenge for Garcia.
As a professional boxer, Ryan has rarely faced mobile fighters. The last one that comes to mind is Emmanuel Tagoe, who was down two rounds against Garcia and was able to survive the fight by using his lateral movement to avoid Garcia as much as possible. .
Despite the loss, Garcia showed there are limits to his ability to cut through the ring. That fight was almost two years ago, and if the 25-year-old Garcia doesn’t improve in that area, he’s going to have a hard time against Haney, who is much more agile and elusive.
Will Ryan’s insults cause Devin to lose his discipline and fight Ryan, fighting internally? There is a certain degree of familiarity between the two, as they have fought against each other in the past.
Ryan will try to time Devin and land the perfect punch. If Haney is disciplined, he will box on the outside, control his distance, utilize his jab, and outpoint Garcia.
