Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia: The Showdown
In a world where attention spans are shorter than ever, and media gets consumed in short video clips and bite-sized snippets of text, what happens when a fighter whose name and fanbase have blossomed because of social media uses those same platforms to exhibit erratic behavior to either promote his fight or document his meltdown in real time?
The Build-Up
Las Vegas playing host to Super Bowl 58 last month was a phenomenal experience. The Super Bowl was exciting; Taylor Swift made it from Japan in time, and the NFL’s week in the mecca of sports gambling went off without a hitch. As it happened, some excitement in the boxing world came out of Super Bowl week in Las Vegas. Teofimo Lopez had a spectacular ring walk before his fight against Jamaine Ortiz on Thursday, February 8th, that was worthy of “The Showman” nickname that Lopez bestowed on himself. However, that was the singular highlight of the night, as Lopez eked out a decision victory in a snoozer of a fight.
The real fireworks occurred when Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia met on Radio Row on Friday. Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia have agreed to fight on April 20th for Haney’s WBC junior welterweight championship. Garcia and Haney were trash-talking until a shoving match broke out, and the two entourages had to keep Garcia and Haney apart. Naturally, when the clip went viral, many wondered if it was a staged confrontation to build buzz for the fight. But there is a history between Haney and Garcia, the two split six matchups as amateurs, and their rivalry has been slowly simmering on social media during their time as professionals. Now that we are just one month away from this contest, how will this fight between two of boxing’s young stars play out?
In the leadup to the Haney-Garcia fight, the main talking point has been Ryan Garcia’s erratic posts on social media. There have been too many to document in a single article. In a later-deleted post, Devin Haney was not buying the legitimacy of Garcia’s antics. “Give Ryan an Oscar [award], please. This is all an act y’all. The fight is happening on April 20th. He’s just playing crazy to ‘sell it,’ which is weird because there are people out there who are actually crazy, but he’s just acting for attention.” The New York State Athletic Commission has now requested that Garcia undergo a mental health evaluation before the fight. Garcia threatened to sue the NYSAC and deactivated his social media accounts that day.
The Showdown
The complication here is that Ryan Garcia has previously stepped away from the sport of boxing to address his mental health. After winning a fight in January 2021 over Luke Campbell, Garcia did not fight again until April 2022. Garcia said he took that time off to manage his health and well-being. Is Ryan Garcia crazy, or is he crazy like a fox?
With the numerous amateur bouts and years of social media beef between the two, it is clear that Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia flat-out do not like each other. Haney did not mince words when discussing Garcia recently. “He’s a Tik-Toker. He thinks this s*** is a game…And that’s what I’m going to show him on April 20th, that this s*** is for real. I’m not here to play, I’m a real fighter. I’m not one of these guys that’s about to play the game with you. You’ll see.”
While the prior matchups were in the amateur ranks, Garcia does have a lot of experience being in the ring with Devin Haney. Both men are 25-years-old, and two of the most intriguing young fighters in boxing. Haney’s WBC championship is on the line, as well as bragging rights in a rivalry between Haney and Garcia that started in the amateur ranks.
Conclusion
Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia is an exciting matchup between two young, talented fighters, just what boxing needs. The two have a storied amateur rivalry and genuinely do not like each other, which means we could have a great fight on April 20th. Assuming this fight goes on as scheduled, it should be fascinating. Devin Haney can enhance his argument as one of boxing’s pound-for-pound best. Ryan Garcia can win his first professional championship, defeat his amateur rival, and silence all of his doubters. The Barclays Center in Brooklyn will be raucous.
