Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia: One Month Away

In a world the place consideration spans are shorter than ever, and media will get consumed in brief video clips and bite-sized snippets of textual content, what occurs when a fighter whose identify and fanbase have blossomed due to social media makes use of those self same platforms to exhibit erratic habits to both promote his battle or doc his meltdown in actual time?⋯

Las Vegas taking part in host to Tremendous Bowl 58 final month was an exceptional expertise. The Tremendous Bowl was thrilling; Taylor Swift made it from Japan in time, and the NFL’s week within the mecca of sports activities playing went off and not using a hitch. Because it occurred, some pleasure within the boxing world got here out of Tremendous Bowl week in Las Vegas. Teofimo Lopez (20-1, 13 KO) had a spectacular ring stroll earlier than his battle towards Jamaine Ortiz on Thursday, February eighth, that was worthy of “The Showman” nickname that Lopez bestowed on himself. Nevertheless, that was the singular spotlight of the night time, as Lopez eked out a choice victory in a snoozer of a battle.

The actual fireworks occurred when Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia met on Radio Row on Friday. Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KO} and Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KO) have agreed to battle on April twentieth for Haney’s WBC junior welterweight championship. Garcia and Haney had been trash-talking till a shoving match broke out, and the 2 entourages needed to maintain Garcia and Haney aside. Naturally, when the clip went viral, many questioned if it was a staged confrontation to construct buzz for the battle. However there’s a historical past between Haney and Garcia, the 2 cut up six matchups as amateurs, and their rivalry has been slowly simmering on social media throughout their time as professionals. Now that we’re only one month away from this contest, how will this battle between two of boxing’s younger stars play out?

Within the leadup to the Haney-Garcia battle, the principle speaking level has been Ryan Garcia’s erratic posts on social media. There have been too many to doc in a single article. In a later-deleted put up, Devin Haney was not shopping for the legitimacy of Garcia’s antics. “Give Ryan an Oscar [award], please. That is all an act y’all. The battle is going on on April twentieth. He’s simply taking part in loopy to ‘promote it,’ which is bizarre as a result of there are individuals on the market who’re really loopy, however he’s simply performing for consideration.” The New York State Athletic Fee has now requested that Garcia bear a psychological well being analysis earlier than the battle. Garcia threatened to sue the NYSAC and deactivated his social media accounts that day.

The complication right here is that Ryan Garcia has beforehand stepped away from the game of boxing to handle his psychological well being. After profitable a battle in January 2021 over Luke Campbell, Garcia didn’t battle once more till April 2022. Garcia mentioned he took that point off to handle his well being and well-being. Is Ryan Garcia loopy, or is he loopy like a fox?

With the quite a few newbie bouts and years of social media beef between the 2, it’s clear that Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia flat-out don’t like one another. Haney didn’t mince phrases when discussing Garcia just lately. “He’s a Tik-Toker. He thinks this s*** is a recreation…And that’s what I’m going to point out him on April twentieth, that this s*** is for actual. I’m not right here to play, I’m an actual fighter. I’m not certainly one of these guys that’s about to play the sport with you. You’ll see.”

Whereas the prior matchups had been within the newbie ranks, Garcia does have a number of expertise being within the ring with Devin Haney. Each males are 25-years-old, and two of essentially the most intriguing younger fighters in boxing. Haney’s WBC championship is on the road, in addition to bragging rights in a rivalry between Haney and Garcia that began within the newbie ranks.

A win by Devin Haney would strengthen his resume and quicken his climb up pound-for-pound rankings lists. Efficiently defending his title towards his newbie rival and perceived peer, Ryan Garcia, could be a dream for Haney. Haney has had extra success as an expert than Garcia, with championships in a number of weight courses and his undefeated document nonetheless intact. However with a win, Garcia may increase his inventory considerably, scoring the largest win of his profession. It will present some legitimacy to Garcia’s claims that he solely misplaced to Gervonta Davis final yr due to the catch weight and rehydration clause that Davis insisted on earlier than signing the contract. It will additionally really feel candy for Garcia to present his newbie rival Haney his first loss.

When contemplating Ryan Garcia’s profession, it’s informative to consider Teofilmo Lopez and Adrien Broner, and their profession paths. Each Ryan Garcia and Teofilmo Lopez are younger fighters blessed with immense expertise who’ve utilized social media to construct their respective fanbases. Like Garcia, Lopez has had many social media posts and erratic outbursts which have put his psychological well being in query. Earlier than his latest battle with Josh Taylor, individuals questioned whether or not Lopez was mentally match to compete in a prizefight towards a person like Taylor. As soon as Lopez received to turn into the unified champion in a second weight class, conversations about Lopez shifted again to his expertise.

One other man whose profession has some similarities to Ryan Garcia’s is Adrien Broner. Like Garcia, Broner was an issue for his opponents early in his profession. Broner had a falling out together with his mentor/promoter Floyd Mayweather Jr., as Garcia did with Oscar de la Hoya. As soon as Adrien Broner started dealing with adversity in his profession contained in the ring, it appeared like Broner may now not grapple together with his issues exterior the ring.

A victory or robust exhibiting from Ryan Garcia would alleviate considerations about his psychological state and profession trajectory. If he wins championship gold or will get shut, maybe Ryan Garcia will really feel pushed to work tougher and fulfill his immense potential. Nevertheless, for Garcia, a loss to Haney, particularly one in decisive style, may very well be devastating. The whispers that Garcia is only a social media creation would get amplified in quantity. His high quality wins as a youthful fighter towards Luke Campbell and Javier Fortuna would get buried on the backside of the feed of his profession narrative. If Devin Haney proves to be on a unique degree than Ryan Garcia inside a yr of his knockout loss to Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia should make some adjustments. Whether or not that change is in his coaching camp, social media utilization, or elsewhere, this already appears like a profession crossroads for Ryan Garcia at 25 years previous.

Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia is an thrilling matchup between two younger, proficient fighters, simply what boxing wants. The 2 have a storied newbie rivalry and genuinely don’t like one another, which implies we may have an awesome battle on April twentieth. Sadly, an intriguing matchup with two younger stars in a premier weight class has been overshadowed by how Garcia has acted. Assuming this battle goes on as scheduled, it needs to be fascinating. Devin Haney can improve his argument as certainly one of boxing’s pound-for-pound finest. Ryan Garcia can win his first skilled championship, defeat his newbie rival, and silence all of his doubters. The Barclays Middle in Brooklyn will likely be raucous.Win, lose, or draw, each males ought to heed the phrases of certainly one of Brooklyn’s best, the Infamous B.I.G.: “If the sport shakes me or breaks me, I hope it makes me a greater man.”