Lucas Jones
Two of boxing’s best young stars will face off when Ryan Garcia challenges WBC junior welterweight champion Devin Haney. The fight takes place on Saturday at the Barclays Center, in Brooklyn (Image: Getty Images)8pm ET, DAZN PPV and PPV.com).
Garcia is fighting for a world title for the first time in his career and is looking to continue bouncing back from an April 2023 stoppage loss to Gervonta “Tank” Davis in a huge box office draw that served as a major setback for Garcia’s career . Meanwhile, Haney is making the first defense of the title he won with a dominant decision win over Regis Prograis in December.
There are a lot of important storylines going into the fight, from Garcia’s mental health to Haney’s struggle to become a superstar in line with his prodigious talent.
Let’s take a look at three big storylines you need to know before Haney vs. Haney. Garcia.
Is Ryan Garcia okay?
It’s unfortunate that Garcia’s mental health – or just his general mentality – overshadowed this fight. When Haney vs. Garcia was first discussed, it was a very intriguing fight and one that showed that Garcia had the heart and desire to continue pursuing big fights despite being stopped by Davis. It didn’t take long for the entire focus of the fight to shift to Garcia’s bizarre behavior on social media, which came with many calls that Garcia shouldn’t even be in the fight, especially considering Garcia has already taken time off from his career. due to mental health problems.
Between complaints about the Illuminati and Bohemian Grove, claims that he was in possession of a photo of a real alien, and claims that popular celebrities are being influenced by Satan, the list goes on and on. Whether it’s a mental break of sorts or a cry for attention from those in the worst corners of the internet, Garcia seems focused on something other than his next fight with one of the most talented boxers on the planet.
If Garcia’s tactic was a publicity stunt to drum up enthusiasm for the fight, it isn’t working, with the arena far from sold out. Fight week buzz is also far below par for a clash that likely would have left the boxing world buzzing without Garcia’s bizarre behavior suggesting he isn’t ready for the challenge ahead.
Maybe Garcia will be fine and will show up and give a great performance on Saturday. But boxing is a dangerous game if you’re not mentally present. If Garcia is seriously injured, the sport will have to do some serious soul-searching about how he was allowed into the ring when something was clearly wrong.
Can Devin Haney Raise His Profile?
There is no doubt that Haney is among the sport’s elite, pound for pound. Despite her obvious talent, Haney hasn’t established herself as a must-see attraction for many.
Part of this is Haney’s fault. At times, Haney was labeled “boring”, and when he stepped up his offensive production, he often found himself in trouble. After a dominant but uneventful showing against Yuriorkis Gamboa, Haney decided to take a more aggressive approach in his May 2021 fight against Jorge Linares. Once again, Haney was dominating, but at the end of the 10th round, Linares seriously injured Haney and could have gotten the stoppage if the charge hadn’t come at the end of the round. At the end of a fight he had dominated, Haney was being booed as he clinched and raced to survive the final two rounds.
After Haney became undisputed lightweight champion with two lopsided victories over George Kambosos Jr., he put his four world championships on the line against Vasiliy Lomachenko in what was the biggest fight of his career. The fight was a thrilling technical clash that was rated as one of the best of 2023. Haney emerged victorious, but many felt that Lomachenko had done enough to deserve the victory, with the slight controversy somewhat overshadowing Haney’s feat, and with others questioning why Haney had so much trouble with a fighter who seemed to be at the end of his career.
Haney’s most recent outing was perhaps the best of his career, as he completely dominated Regis Prograis to win the WBC junior welterweight title. To his credit, Haney fought like a man to prove he can be exciting and dominant at the same time, and he seemed to enjoy moving up to 140 pounds rather than having to cut down to 135.
In Garcia, Haney has a chance to look dominant against a big-name opponent and possibly raise his profile to new heights. If Haney can avoid a stumble, he could finally become a star more in line with his abilities.
Another failure in a knockout lineup
In recent years, boxing has flirted with putting together better qualifiers for major events. Despite this, we are often served with rubbish like the one prepared for Saturday night.
There is only one fight scheduled for the undercard that carries any pre-event intrigue, with John “Scrappy” Ramirez taking on David Jimenez for the interim WBA flyweight championship. Ramirez may be an exciting fighter and certainly a big personality, but he’s been in too many fights where his showmanship doesn’t match his emotion and he’s been booed as a result. Even so, his fight with Jimenez is a legitimate fight between two men who are outside the top 10 in the division and with potential for excitement.
Additionally, Arnold Barboza Jr. vs. Sean McComb at super lightweight appears to exist in case Barboza, who is toying with taking a step up to contender status, is necessary to intervene in any of the main eventers. Bektemir Melikuziev appeared to be on his way to world championship fights when he was surprisingly melted by Gabriel Rosado in 2021 and is now fighting Pierre Dibombe, who is the BoxRec No.
Boxing fans deserve better when they shell out $80 for a pay-per-view. But the sport may have to fall further out of favor before promoters are able to present more meaningful qualifiers.
