Devin Haney isn’t willing to admit that Ryan Garcia is the most dangerous puncher he will have faced up to this point in his nine-year professional career.
Haney just can’t bring himself to admit Ryan Garcia might actually pose a threat to him, and I think that’s a red flag for someone with a weak ego. Ryan’s power is a force of nature, and he’s easily the most lethal puncher in the 140-lb division.
Paper Champion Blues
It’s difficult for Haney to praise Ryan because of his past losses to him in the amateur ranks, and he’s arguably an insecure champion with the way he’s won world titles against weak champions George Kambosos Jr. and 35-year-old Regis Prograis.
The way Haney has won his world titles and not received praise has left him with a giant chip on his shoulder about it, which suggests that he knows that he beat paper champions and was an opportunist with the way he chose these two to challenge for world titles.
Sounding like a broken record, WBC light welterweight champion Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) insists that he will “handicap” Ryan’s power. This need Haney has to belittle Ryan makes him look afraid and bitter because he lacks any power that Kingry has been blessed with.
We’ll see if that’s the case, but there’s no question that Ryan is a bigger puncher than anyone Haney has fought during his career, which is nearing ten years. Haney, 25, has been hurt by Jorge Linares, Vasily Lomachenko and Joseph Diaz.
The “Handicap” Line is Just Sad
Chris Mannix: “Is he [Ryan Garcia] the most dangerous fighter you’ve faced up to this point?”
Devin Haney: “Ryan Garcia has power, of course, but Regis Prograis had power too. [Jorge] Linares had power. A lot of these guys have had power. I’m just on a different level.
“So he can bring all the power he wants. I’m going to bring the skills that I’ve got, and show him, handicap him of his power.”
Would it hurt for Haney to at least be upfront enough to acknowledge Ryan as being a tremendous puncher? Is it like some kind of automatic loss for Haney to praise Ryan for something?
