WBC light welterweight champion Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia have agreed to a deal to fight on April 20th in what is expected to be a huge mega-fight on DAZN PPV, thanks to the huge 11 million Instagram followers of Kingry.
Financial Fallout
Mike Coppinger broke the news of a deal being struck with Haney (31-0, 15 KOs), but there is no word yet on the venue or PPV price. It’s fair to say that the price will be in the $75 range, possibly higher, given the attention the fight will receive.
Hopefully, the Haney vs. Garcia fight isn’t priced too high because it could hurt future PPV events, with angry fans bitter at watching an uncompetitive fight, feeling ripped off, and choosing to avoid them after paying for this non-competitive fight.
Haney’s last fight against Regis Prograis reportedly did an abysmal 50K buys on DAZN PPV, showing clearly that he lacks the popularity or the fighting style to get fans interested in paying to see his fights.
Of course, with Haney fighting Ryan Garcia, with his 11 million followers on social media, he can ride his coattails, like Gervonta Davis did. Haney can’t sell, but he can take advantage of the celebrity-like Ryan’s Instagram following.
Fight Viewed as Mismatch
Although the 25-year-old Ryan is getting another large payday clash, he’s not technically ready for this match-up against the more skilled and experienced Haney.
The fight will likely be just as much of a mismatch against Ryan’s seventh-round knockout loss to Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis last year in April.
What’s interesting about it is the date. Exactly a year has gone by since Ryan’s last defeat in a that he had zero chance of winning, and now we’re seeing him taking on another fighter, Haney, who he’s not in the same ballpark as him talent-wise, and he’s going to get blown out of the water on April 20th.
Alternative Routes for Haney
Instead of Haney taking easy fights against Ryan Garcia, he must prove himself against some of the better fighters at 140, like Subriel Matias, Arnold Barboza, Sandor Martin, Gary Antuanne Russell, or Jamaine Ortiz. Those are the talented ones in the division.
If the 165+ lb Haney continues to melt down, killing himself in the process to compete at 140, he should focus on fighting the opposition that will show that he’s not the cherry-picking opportunist that knowledgeable fans think he is.