Star boxer Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) is set to challenge the WBC super-lightweight world champion Devin “The Dream” Haney on Saturday April 20th live on DAZN PPV, but due to Garcia’s erratic behavior, undefeated super-lightweight contender Arnold Barboza Jr. has been selected to be Haney’s backup opponent.
Recently, Ryan Garcia’s behavior has become a matter of concern, as the probability of Garcia pulling out of the fight due to personal issues is starting to increase. The Haney-Garcia bout was originally set to take place in Las Vegas, but due to venue scheduling conflicts, the match was moved to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
When the news broke in regards to the change of venue, Ryan Garcia appeared to be very unhappy about the switch. Garcia believes that a high-profile fight such as Haney vs Garcia should take place in Vegas.
In addition to his disapproval of the change in the fight location, Ryan Garcia has displayed extremely disturbing behavior. Despite the fact that Garcia is weeks away from his first opportunity to fight for a world title, for some unapparent reason, he thought it was a good idea to call out the UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley.
Days after challenging a UFC champion to an MMA match, Garcia would go on to call out Jake Paul, a man who fights six weight classes higher than Garcia. On top of the callouts, Garcia has posted a picture of himself on social media smoking marijuana, and he’s posted a couple of disturbing messages which have caused fans to become concerned.
Due to the uncertainty that exists, a contingency plan was needed, and it comes in the form of the 5th-ranked WBC super-lightweight contender. Arnold Barboza Jr (29-0, 11 KOs) was recently added to the Haney-Garcia undercard, but he also serves as the backup opponent for the main event.
A product of Long Beach, California, Arnold Barboza made his professional boxing debut back in June 2013 when he defeated Gustavo Lopez by way of unanimous decision. Almost eleven years and twenty-eight fights later, the 32-year-old Barboza is still pursuing that elusive world title opportunity.
After leaving Top Rank, Barboza signed with Golden Boy Promotions back in November 2023. Two months later Barboza showcased his skills by displaying a constant workrate, and good punch placement in a dominant win over Xolisani Ndongeni.
Now the 140-pound contender is on the verge of either participating in the April 20th co-main, or being elevated to the main event slot, and finally receiving his chance to fight for a world title. Unlike Garcia, Arnold Barboza is working hard and he’s focused on obtaining, and taking advantage of a golden opportunity.
Barboza is locked in and he’s preparing to be at his best whether it be in the chief support bout or the main event. Hypothetically speaking, if Garcia does pull out of the fight, Barboza took a moment to send Devin Haney a message during his recent interview with Fight Hub TV.
“Devin Haney should pray that Ryan don’t back out because I think that I’ll be a way better fight than Ryan would. I think he’ll have a way tougher time, and he’ll lose.”
Arnold Barboza and his team are still in negotiations as it relates to his April 20th co-main opponent, but Barboza is still monitoring the availability of the main event slot.
If Barboza doesn’t receive the opportunity to obtain a main event slot, then he plans to fight in the co-main, make a statement, and hopefully secure a bout with the Haney-Garcia winner.