Explaining why tickets aren’t selling for the April 20th fight, Ryan Garcia says he’s had to carry the entire promotion on his back due to Devin Haney not being a draw. Ryan says WBC light welterweight champion Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) “can’t crack an egg,” and fans don’t want to watch him.
(Photo credit: Golden Boy / Cris Esqueda)
The bitter reality is Haney needs Ryan way more than he needs Haney. Without Ryan, Devin is back where he was in his last fight, with another PPV disaster on DAZN. The action before the fight will likely be more entertaining than what fans see in the clash on April 20th.
Haney’s Master Plan: Leech Off Ryan’s Popularity
Ryan (24-1, 20 KOs) says he should be getting a bigger split than their 55-45 due to his popularity, and Haney is not an attraction that draws in fans. Kingry explains that fighters like Haney have too much ego to admit they’re not a draw.
It could be that, but it also could be a case of Haney and his dad, Bill, wisely choosing a fighter that sells tickets and brings in fans to make money they otherwise wouldn’t be getting if they were fighting someone else.
Haney can’t do it on his own without a popular fighter like Ryan to bring in the fans for him because he’s not someone that people want to pay to watch.
“I am underestimated. They hate me because I won’t shut up. I feel like I deserve more. I feel it should have been 65-35, to be honest,” said Ryan Garcia to the media about what he feels his split with Devin Haney should have been instead of the 55-45 in his favor.
“I like to make big fights happen. A lot of boxers have an ego and don’t want to admit that they’re not a draw, so I have to work around that. As a person that wants to amplify the sport, money is going to come and go.
“I have a lot of money. I really don’t need much more money in my life, but I’ll take it. A lot of things can affect it, but I don’t think any things that I saw in the fight affected it. It’s more so on him,” said Ryan Garcia about the low ticket sales for his fight with Haney at the Barclays Center.
The Cold, Hard Truth
“Devin Haney is not a draw, and I definitely have been carrying this promotion on my back by myself. Nobody wants to watch a guy that supposedly can’t crack an egg. We’re not going to underestimate him. He may have power when I step in there with him. I don’t know.
“I was a big advocate for lowering the prices. I personally think the prices were very high, and I want everybody to be in the building. I don’t think a lot of Americans can afford $500 tickets for the top row. I wouldn’t even pay that, and I have enough money to do that, but I’m not going to pay $500 to be at the top row. That’s crazy.”
If Ryan knocks out Haney, he won’t have problems selling tickets for his next fight against anyone he chooses to face as the new WBC light welterweight champion. A victory for Ryan will almost surely result in a rematch with Haney because there will be a demand for a second fight.
