Devin Haney is working hard to train for his fight against Ryan Garcia on April 20th. Thankfully, the fight is still on after a brief scare. Ryan (24-1, 20 KOs) was going through some stuff in his life, which he appears to have fixed, and now he seems dialed in.
In a video posted today by the unbeaten WBC light welterweight champion Haney (31-0, 15 KOs), he’s grinding hard, working the heavy bag, and looking surprisingly trim.
Work Ethic Over One-Punch Power
The power wasn’t there in the video of Haney training on the heavy bag, but the technique and the intensity were there. Devin will never be a big puncher, but he has the skills to make up for it.
That will make it tough for Ryan unless he lands one of his big left hooks on him like he did his last opponent, Oscar Duarte.
Unlike in his last fight against WBC 140-lb champion Regis Prograis last December, Haney doesn’t appear to be anywhere near 165 lbs or higher.
The arduous weight cut that Haney had to endure for the Prograis fight likely scared him away from coming in for this fight at a similar size.
The video of what Haney had to go through to cut down to 140, wrapped up in a cocoon to sweat off the pounds, looked dangerous. When a fighter cuts 25 lbs of water weight, that’s an insane amount, putting them at risk of a health emergency.
If he can’t keep his weight manageable, Haney will eventually have to move up to 147 or 154 pounds.
It’s understandable why Haney is willing to kill himself to make 140, as he can’t crack and would be at a disadvantage fighting at 160 or 168, which is probably where he should be.
Even with Haney’s elite-level technical skills, his absence of power would limit his success fighting at middleweight or higher. You’ve got to have some punching power to exist in those weight classes, or you will become food for the contenders.
The Lingering Question
Without the power to hurt Ryan, Haney has to ensure his tactical game is 100% to win a points decision in this fight. If he can frustrate Ryan and get him in a possession where he’s fighting recklessly, it’ll make things easier for Haney to win rounds.
In Haney’s fight against Regis Prograis, he dropped him and had him hurt at one point. That was impressive.
