By Tim Royner: Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn wants to schedule a fight between WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney and #3 WBC Luke Campbell if he can’t get Ryan Garcia to agree to face Devin.
Ryan Garcia (20-0, 15 KOs) is tentatively scheduled for July 4th against a still to be determined opponent. That date is kind of iffy though, as Golden Boy Promotions has been quiet about it.
The 32-year-old former world title challenger Campbell (20-3, 16 KOs) lost his last fight against Vasiliy Lomachenko lat August, and now he’s being considered for another title shot. It helps that Campbell’s promoter is Hearn because he also promotes WBC champ Haney (24-0, 15 KOs).
The opponent that Hearn is counting on facing the 21-year-old Haney is Ryan Garcia, but it’s not a good time for that match to take place. Garcia’s promoters at Golden Boy Promotions won’t want to put him in with Haney this year, seeing that it’s not a good time.
For a fight of the magnitude of Garcia vs. Haney, Golden Boy will want it to take place with a live audience during a time when the economy in the U.S is doing well.
Campbell with more experience than Haney
“When you look at Campbell’s resume, he’s boxed the likes of Argenis Mendez, a great fight with Jorge Linares, a great fight with Vasiliy Lomachenko,” said Hearn. His resume, although he didn’t win those last two fights, you’ve got to say that Campbell has mixed it at a much higher level than Devin Haney,” said Hearn.
The experience that Campbell has might not help him against a fighter like Haney, who has a lot of different ways to beat you. Campbell has been in with some excellent fighters, but he’s lost each time he stepped it up against quality guys.
Hearn has to do something with the 32-year-Campbell because he’s too old to be matched carefully. Those days of careful match-making with Campbell are done, and he needs to be fighting for world titles. However, it looks bad that Campbell keeps losing when he fights for titles. At some point, Campbell will stop getting opportunities.
Haney will get a chance to prove himself
“Is the hype real about Devin Haney? We’ll find out in a fight with Luke Campbell,” said Hearn. “I’d like to go straight into a fight between Luke Campbell and Devin Haney if Ryan Garcia won’t take it.”
The jury is still out on whether WBC lightweight champion Haney is the real deal or not. He’s not been tested against quality opposition as of yet, and he lacks punching power that the elite level 135-pounders possess.
The southpaw Campbell is the bigger puncher by far than Haney, and he’s got comparable hand speed and boxing skills. What Campbell doesn’t possess is youth. The 2012 Olympic gold medalist Campbell has been around as a professional since 2013, and he’s already lost three times. Campbell’s defeats have come against these fighters:
- Yvan Mendy
- Jorge Linares
- Vasiliy Lomachenko
Campbell felt that he fought well enough to deserve a win in his fight against Linares, but the judges didn’t agree. They saw Linares outworking Campbell in the first four and last four rounds. The speed difference between Linares and Campbell was considerable. Each time Linares would open up with speedy combinations, he got the better of Campbell.
