Promoter Oscar De La Hoya is predicting Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia will do 1.5 million buys on DAZN PPV in their headliner contest on April 20th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
De La Hoya feels that if the Haney-Garcia light welterweight clash does big numbers, they’ll meet again, potentially fighting three to six times. Oscar is shooting for a trilogy, which would allow Ryan (24-1, 20 KOs) and WBC 140-lb champion Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) to make a load of money each.
What would be bad for the rivalry is if Haney, the favorite, washes Ryan in their fight on April 20th, as that would remove any possibility of selling a second and third bout between them.
Ryan, 25, is the underdog and the bigger star of the two, so he’s the one who must win for a rematch with Haney to make sense marketing-wise.
Tapping into Deep-Seeded Rivalry
“1.5 [million PPV buys] would be great. This is the start of maybe a trilogy. I think that’s the way it’s going to go,” said promoter Oscar De La Hoya to Fight Hub TV, predicting Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia will bring in 1.5 million buys on DAZN PPV on April 20th.
What could hurt the PPV numbers for Haney vs. Garcia is if Canelo Alvarez fights a big name on May 4th. A lot of fans will be talking up a fight between Canelo during the build-up for that date, and that’ll take away some of the interest for the Haney-Garcia clash on April 20th.
Also, some boxing fans will want to save their money to purchase Canelo’s fight due to it taking place two weeks after Ryan’s fight with Haney.
“Who knows, maybe they fight five or six times like the amateurs. They really hate each other; they really have an animosity towards each other. I tell Ryan and Devin, ‘You got to prove it in the ring. You’re talking all this s*** outside of the ring. Prove it in the ring.’
An Even Matchup
“Both guys are going to be in great shape with no hydration clause. It’s going to be an even fight, a continuation of their six fights in the amateurs,” said De La Hoya about the Haney vs. Garcia clash.
