Friday night will see several top Amercian fighters in action as New York welcomes some of the nation's best to Times Square for a huge show .
Live on DAZN Pay-Per-View , Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, and Teofimo Lopez will all step into the ring in the Big Apple looking to burnish their reputations further.
If victorious on such a grand stage, all three could use success as a platform for even bigger nights later in 2025 and beyond - and to cement their domestic superstar status.
Here, DAZN News takes a look at this trio of impressive boxers and the roads they have taken so far to in the race to become the face of American boxing.
Devin Haney
(Golden Boy / Cris Esqueda)
Like Floyd Mayweather a generation before him, boxing was destined to be the career for the Oakland native after he was nurtured by his father from an early age.
Having boxed from the age of seven, Haney’s Californian upbringing was focused on one thing and one thing only - developing him into a future superstar of the sport.
A schoolboy move to Las Vegas saw an education in gyms over classrooms, as he positioned himself in the nation's boxing’s capital, with the right move for self-improvement.
Making a pro debut in Mexico as a teenager against Gonzalo Lopez, Haney’s decade-long journey became his business, with the star in no mood deter his childhood destiny.
Climbing through the rankings in impressive fashion, he quickly attracted the attention of several promoters, but it was a move to Matchroom and Eddie Hearn that saw his stock dramatically rise.
DAZNAfter being upgraded to WBC champion in 2019, Haney mounted a successful run of defences that saw him register wins over the likes of Jorge Linares and JoJo Diaz, before becoming undisputed ruler over George Kambosos.
In what was supposed to be star-making performance, he was pushed all the way by Vasiliy Lomachenko before escaping with his titles, but his biggest test was still to come.
It quicky became a nightmare, as opposing his amateur rival, Ryan Garcia, Haney was essentially destroyed as he was dropped heavily three times before losing on points.
In the aftermath of the fight however, he was spared the loss on his record when an issue with Garcia’s drug test ensured the result would be changed to a no contest.
Haney’s pride remained damaged however, and his feud with Garcia has taken on new meaning over the past year with their rivalry under the national spotlight.
After all the mainstream attention that has accompanied their squabble, the winner of their dispute could yet ideally be positioned to be America’s biggest boxing star.
Ryan Garcia
(Golden Boy / Cris Esqueda)
If Haney’s strategy for glory has come straight out of the Mayweather playbook, then it is fair to say that Garcia’s path to the top has been torn from Oscar De La Hoya's history.
The veteran pair's fight back in 2007, one of the biggest domestic bouts ever, saw a clash of styles and personalities that transferred extremely well into big business.
Can Garcia and Haney come close to replicating that? After their first dance, there are plenty who believe that a rematch would have the chance to match up favourably.
The former has long faced questions on his ability to fight with claims his handsome looks and social media profile have pushed his reputation rather than his fighting skills.
Despite criticisms, Garcia has proved time and again that he belongs at the business end of boxing, and now he has the chance to prove he is the face of the sport in America.
Like Haney, he started with the gloves at the age of seven and duly amassed an outstanding amateur record that saw him add a vast amount of unpaid honours to his name.
After turning pro and signing with De Lay Hoya's Golden Boy, Garcia embarked on an incredible run that saw him break out in 2021 against Olympic champion Luke Campbell.
A stunning body shot delivered set up a successful two years to follow, and even a stoppage loss to Gervonta Davis could not deter him as he rebounded from the setback.
That teed up his battle with Haney, and for many, Garcia produced arguably the best performance of his career to secure a victory on the night against his rival.
But his moment was taken from him days later when it emerged he had failed a drug test, leaving a cloud over his achievements and a no contest on his record.
Despite that, Garcia’s profile remains as high as ever and he will be looking to see if he can steal the show in New York this May with other big names on the card.
If he does, and he can then defeat Haney without any controversies attached in an anticipated rematch, he might just be the America superstar that his country needs.
Teofimo Lopez
GettyImages
In 2020, at the height of lockdown and the COVID-19 pandemic, America believed it had its next superstar on its hands when Teofimo Lopez produced a stunning performance.
A comprehensive points win to become the world’s best lightweight over Vasiliy Lomachenko however proved premature just one year later, but now the star is rebuilding too.
The son of Honduran parents, Lopez grew up in New York and was guided by his father from a very early age towards a career that has seen him straddle his dual heritage.
Unable to represent the United States at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games after failing to secure a place, he represented his family and fought in Honduran colours instead.
Signing for Top Rank later that year, Lopez began a professional odyssey in the hope that his youthful potential could one day be converted into riches and championships.
In the moment of truth in late 2019, months before the pandemic would grip the planet, Lopez became world champion with a stunning knockout against Richard Commey.
Subsequently, victory over Lomachenko saw him unify the lightweight titles a year later, and laid the path to a seemingly innocuous first defence against George Kambosos,.
Freed from lockdown in 2021, New York came out for Lopez, but he was surprisingly dropped in the opening round before losing on points in one of the year’s biggest shocks.
In the space of two fights, he had gone from recognition as a pound-for-pound superstar to some calling him overhyped failure, a poster boy for just how brutal boxing can be.
Despite the setback, Lopez still had plenty of credit in the bank from his win over Lomachenko and it would not be long before he bounced back with a clinical 2023 return.
Aiming to become lineal champion in a second weight class, he became the first person to beat Josh Taylor as he masterminded a clinical display to dominate the Scotsman.
Now returned to world title status, Lopez has the various qualities to be the face of American boxing, but a lack of hard consistency appears to be his biggest issue.
On home turf on May 2, with Garcia and Haney vying for the spotlight too, he finally has the chance to show once and for all that the beams should well and truly be on him.
Watch two incredible fight nights this week only on DAZN
Fight fans are in for a treat this week, with two amazing fight exclusively DAZN PPV.
- May 2: Ryan Garcia vs Rolly Romero; Devin Haney vs Jose Ramirez; Teofimo Lopez vs Arnold Barboza Jr.
- May 3: Canelo Alvarez vs William Scull
Fight fans can purchase either these fight nights individually for $59.99 US; £/€21.99 UK/IRE; $24.99 ROW per PPV or take advantage of the DAZN Knockout Weekend Bundle where both fight cards can be purchased for $90 US; £34.99 UK and €34.99 Europe.