By Allan Fox: Devin Haney believes Ryan Garcia has the “neutralizer” power that can lead him to victory against Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis on April 22nd despite being the underdog in the eyes of a
Although Haney says he’s choosing the proven fighter Tank Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) to win, you can’t rule out an upset win by Ryan (23-0, 19 KOs) because he’s got the eraser left hook that can pull a victory out of the hat any given moment.
Devin notes that Tank has fallen behind in many of his fights and has had to bail himself out with his power. But what happens if he doesn’t come through with a big shot?
It’s reasonable to assume that if the 28-year-old Gervonta falls behind against Ryan in their catch-weight fight at 136, he could get caught by a big left hook from Kingry if he gets sloppy.
The hand speed, length, and power of Ryan Garcia will keep him in this fight, particularly if Tank is trying to be overly aggressive like he always is.
Tank can’t just sit and wait on a counter as he did against Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero because Ryan isn’t a careless fighter that will leave openings.
Ryan Garcia has the “neutralizer”
“I think it’s a good fight. Ryan has got the height, the length, the speed, but Tank has that power; he has that neutralizer. He has that experience; he’s been tested and been proven,” said Devin Haney to Fight Hub TV when asked about his assessment of the Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia fight on April 22nd.
“The safe bet would be Tank, but you can’t count Ryan out as well. He has speed, he has power, and I don’t think he’s scared. He’s coming in there to win. We’ve seen Tank go down in rounds,” said Haney.
Tank can be outboxed, and it’ll be interesting to see if Ryan can box him and pile up the rounds in the first half of the fight. Looking at Gervonta lose rounds against Rolly Romero, Isaac Cruz, and Leo Santa Cruz, it shows that he’s vulnerable in that area.
“We’ve seen come back in a knockout, but we haven’t seen what he can do when he can’t against a puncher that he can’t just sleep on,” said Haney.
“If Tank were to blow him out of the water, we wouldn’t be surprised. Yeah, yeah, but it all starts with Loma, and once I’m victorious there, the winner, we would look to face,” said Haney about him wanting to fight the winner of the Gervonta vs. Ryan fight.
It’s definitely possible that Tank could blast Ryan out early in the fight, but it’s unlikely that he will because that would require him to fight aggressively, and that would put him at risk of getting knocked out.
“The fight is definitely going to happen. We’re trying to see where. We’re trying to pick a site for it. It might be here [Saudi Arabia], or it might be in Vegas,” said Haney about his May 20th fight against Vasyl Lomachenko.
“One of those two places is where it’s going to happen, and May 20th is the date. Just the location,” Haney said when asked if picking the site was the only hold-up for the Lomachenko fight.
Tables have turned
“Yeah, the tables turned. For a long time, Loma wouldn’t even say my name. At one point, I don’t think Loma even knew me because he wouldn’t even say my name. I really didn’t think he knew me because he wouldn’t say my name.
“Eventually, the tables started turning, and now here we are, and I’m giving Loma a shot. I don’t have to. When it was his turn, he didn’t have to, and he didn’t.
“It’s different. I want to show the world my skills. I want to take on the best fighters in the world. I’ve been saying this for a while. Since the Loma days, since the Robert Easter days, I’ve been paying for this, and now it’s another chance for me to showcase it.
“He calls out a lot of fighters, but he doesn’t fight them. Anybody that I ever called out that was willing to fight me, I fought, and this is another time me showing that. I called out Loma years ago. Here we are, years and years, and we’re fighting.
“It’s about legacy. I’ve been wanting to fight Loma. I knew I could beat him back then. I still feel the same way, and I will show it. You got to see; you got to tune in. It’s definitely going to be a different fight than it was years ago,” said Haney.
Showcase opportunity for Devin
“It’s going to showcase my skills and showcase that I’m the best fighter in the world,” said Haney. “I am the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. I’m just going to keep beating them one by one. Keep lining them up and knocking them down, and eventually, I’m going to get my respect.
“I’m definitely getting more respect than I was before, and after this fight [Lomachenko], I’ll get even more respect after I’m victorious.
“They say that now because he had a bad performance, but one performance doesn’t define you,” said Haney when asked if he thinks Lomachenko is on the career decline.
“We’re not studying Loma after his last performance. We’re studying him off of all his fights. His best performances, his worst performances. We’re studying him all around. One performance doesn’t define you.
“He was coming off a war, Ukraine, a lot to make that fight happen, and he was victorious against a young, hungry lion, like Jermaine Ortiz. So we got to see. We’re expecting the best Vasyl Lomachenko on May 20th, and the best Devin Haney will show up that night.
“I see myself being dominant from round one until however many rounds it lasts. I see myself being dominant the whole time. I’ve been feeling like that.
“It’s not confidence now because I’ve been saying that I want to fight Loma back for years and years ago. Nothing has changed,” said Haney.
