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Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney in need of statement wins to force grudge match with each other
Standing on the Manhattan Center stage Monday evening for their Grand Arrivals event, Devin Haney first, followed by Ryan Garcia, took turns acknowledging each other.
The fallout from their April 2024 debacle of a fight has left both boxing stars with a healthy chip on their shoulder, feeling like the only way to truly converge for a rematch is to make a statement to the other in their respective fights Friday night in the “Crossroads of the World,” Times Square in New York City, and live and exclusive on DAZN worldwide.
Haney, who clashes with pressure-fighting Jose Ramirez in the co-main event, vows to show the boxing world his best skills yet.
That the Haney-Garcia fight was changed from a majority decision for Garcia to a no contest due to the latter failing a drug test still makes it hard to erase the lasting image of “King Ry” pummeling Haney toward three knockdowns.
DAZNAgainst Ramirez, a former unified lightweight world champion, Haney wants to prove there are not any remnants of that mugging at the hands of Garcia that he carries with him.
“I look to bring fireworks on May 2. I look to show the world a new and improved better Devin Haney, better than before,” he said on the dais.
After the beating he took and subsequent layoff of over a year, Haney has had to go back to the basics.
“I had to go back to the drawing board and focus on the mistakes I was making and like I said become a better version of myself,” he conceded. “I’d like to go in there and show it on Friday.”
He added that his “main focus is Jose Ramirez,” and proving he’s on a “whole different level” to then “get to the Ryan Garcia fight.”
Garcia, following his one-year suspension for the failed drug test, also feels like he has a lot to prove.
Haney repeatedly expressed that Garcia had the edge in their bout due to the banned substance Ostarine.
“King Ry” wants to shatter that perception and he could start in Friday night’s main event against a heavy-handed Rolando Romero.
“I’m coming back with a bang,” Garcia said on stage. “I’m not here to play no games come Friday night. I can’t. I got a huge fight coming up next. I got to take [Romero] as serious as if I’m fighting Devin. We are going to be prepared 100 percent.”
While Haney is eager to show that he has fully rebounded from the beating he took, Garcia wants to exhibit that he’s as explosive without any performance-enhancing drug use.
Romero, a former 140-pound world champion, has sparred with Garcia before and told the media Monday on stage that those sessions both were a landslide in his favor.
While Garcia “cannot wait” for the chance to fight Haney again, defeating Romero is his first line of order.
With their careers so interwoven at this point, the last thing Garcia or Haney would want to encounter is a hiccup Friday night in Times Square.
They handle their business and a scintillating rematch will be born.
