They faced each other six times in the amateurs where both fighters won three fights each, but now the rubber match will occur at the pro level, as Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) will defend his WBC super-lightweight title against Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, live on DAZN pay-per-view.
Haney and Garcia are longtime rivals who have exchanged heated words both on social media and in person. On Saturday night they will finally receive the opportunity to settle their differences inside of the squared circle.
As lightweights back in 2021, Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, Gervonta “Tank” Davis, and Teofimo Lopez were labeled ‘The New Four Kings.’ Haney, Davis, and Lopez have all won multiple world titles, but Ryan Garcia hasn’t won his first world title as of yet.
Due to his antics on social media, some followers of boxing thought Garcia was very talented, but he wasn’t dedicated to the sport. Garcia was out to prove his doubters wrong, and on January 2, 2021, he scored a 7th-round TKO victory over former Olympic gold medalist Luke Campbell and won the vacant WBC Interim title.
After a subpar performance in a win over Emmanuel Tagoe, Ryan Garcia looked very impressive in his next fight, as he scored a sixth round knockout victory over Javier Fortuna. After dominating Fortuna, Garcia felt he was ready to face a fellow king.
On April 22, 2023, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Nevada, Ryan Garcia stepped inside the ring to face Gervonta “Tank” Davis. Garcia was aggressive, and he had a few good moments, but unfortunately, he was stopped in the 7th when Davis landed a hard shot to the body.
Eight months after suffering his first defeat as a pro, Ryan Garcia stepped back inside the ring for the first time as a super-lightweight, and he stopped Oscar Duarte in the 8th round. After getting back on the winning track, Garcia turned his undivided attention to an old rival who is also known as one of the kings.
Devin Haney was criticized and laughed at back in October 2019 when he was elevated from WBC Interim titleholder to WBC world champion. While battling Haney in a Twitter beef, Teofimo Lopez labeled Haney as the email champ.
The joke became popular, but Haney would be the one laughing when he traveled to Melbourne, Australia, dominated George Kambosos Jr and became the undisputed lightweight champion.
Three months later, in October 2022, Haney gave Kambosos a rematch, and once again, Haney thoroughly outboxed Kambosos.
Devin Haney would go on to successfully defend his undisputed lightweight crown against former three-division champion Vasiliy Lomachenko.
Haney moved up to 140, and he became a two-weight world champion when he gave Regis Prograis a boxing masterclass and won the WBC super-lightweight title.
Now the 25-year-old Devin Haney is ready to make his first title defense against his longtime rival. Haney is a ring technician who has an elite jab, impeccable timing, excellent punch placement, and an abundance of ring intelligence.
His opponent, the 25-year-old Ryan Garcia is a talented fighter who needs to step up to the plate and prove that he can win the big one. Garcia is a boxer who has fast hands, and a lethal weapon known as his signature left hook.
Ryan Garcia is talented boxer who has star power, but he doesn’t have the accomplishments, while Devin Haney has the accolades, but he doesn’t have the popularity. Garcia needs a victory for validation, and Haney needs a win in order to keep his momentum going and to also gain more notoriety.
Since the fight was officially announced, Haney has been laser-focused, while Garcia has constantly displayed erratic behavior in the form of social media posts and videos. At the official weigh-in, Garcia chugged a beer while standing on the scale, and weighing 3.2 pounds over the weight limit.
Garcia would later claim that the scale antic was a prank, and he was actually drinking a mixture of apple juice and sparkling water. The missed weight would end up costing Garcia over a million dollars and his chance at winning his first world title.
For the past few years, Devin Haney has been a man on a mission. Ryan Garcia appeared to be the same way at one point, but recently, it seems like he has traveled off the course.
When it comes down to the Devin Haney-Ryan Garcia matchup, Haney is the superior boxer and a (-910) favorite to win, but Ryan Garcia is a live dog because he is one left hook away from shocking the world.