Devin Haney: Ryan Garcia Yet to Prove Himself at Elite Level
As the highly anticipated fight between Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia approaches, the WBC light welterweight champion has made it clear that he believes Garcia has yet to prove himself at the elite level.
Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) points to Garcia’s only loss against Gervonta ”Tank” Davis, where he quit on one knee, as evidence that he is not on the same level as himself. In fact, Haney goes as far as comparing Garcia to former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who was known for taking a knee during the American national anthem.
“I feel like I’m levels above him [Ryan Garcia],” Haney stated in an interview with DAZN Boxing. “I feel like when he fought on the elite level, he quit. The world watched him take a knee, watched him Colin Kaepernick.”
While Haney’s comparison may seem harsh, it highlights his belief that Garcia lacks the toughness and resilience to handle the pressure of a tough fight. However, it’s worth noting that a recent sparring video of Haney needing to be saved by Adrien Broner from being knocked out by Tank Davis has raised questions about his own abilities.
But what exactly does Haney mean by ”elite level”? The 26-year-old talks about Ryan not being ready for this level, implying that he sees himself as an elite fighter. However, has Haney truly proven himself to be at this level?
While he does have a controversial victory over former three-division world champion Vasyl Lomachenko, many argue that he looked much bigger and had a significant size advantage over the 35-year-old. In fact, if Lomachenko were the same size and age as Haney, it’s likely that he would have dominated the fight.
In order for Haney to truly be considered an elite-level fighter, he would need to face and defeat the best in his division, rather than carefully selecting his opponents. Some of the fighters he needs to face to earn this title include Subriel Matias, Shakur Stevenson, Jaron “Boots” Ennis, Janibek Alimkhanuly, Tim Tszyu, Terence Crawford, David Benavidez, David Morrell Jr., Teofimo Lopez, and Gervonta Davis.
Considering that Haney rehydrates to 165 lbs for his fights, it’s clear that he should be facing bigger opponents his size, such as Boots, Morrell, Benavidez, Janibek, and Tszyu.
But what about Ryan Garcia? Is he ready for Haney? His previous fight against Tank Davis showed that he wasn’t prepared for an elite-level fighter with power. However, with Haney not yet at this level, Garcia has a good chance of winning the fight, as long as there is no controversy.
Kosport Magazine’s Take
As the highly anticipated fight between Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia approaches, it’s clear that both fighters have something to prove. While Haney believes Garcia has yet to prove himself at the elite level, he himself has yet to face and defeat the best in his division. As for Garcia, his previous loss against Tank Davis showed that he wasn’t ready for an elite-level fighter, but with Haney not yet at this level, he has a good chance of winning the fight. Only time will tell who will come out on top in this exciting matchup.
