Devin Haney-Ryan Garcia: “The Ball Is Rolling”

By: Sean Crose

Looks like Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia are in legitimate talks for a major fight.

“I’ve advised my team to contact team Haney to discuss and make the fight happen between Devin and I #GarciaHaney,” Garcia posted on social media Tuesday. The popular 25 year old went on to add: “The ball is in your court Devin I’ve made my move and I’m showing you and the boxing community that I’m committed to this fight. #GarciaHaney.” Suffice to say, Haney did indeed hear from team Garcia. “These are facts,” he responded to Garcia’s initial post. The story advanced further on Wednesday when Oscar De La Hoya, Garcia’s promoter, stated that “the ball is rolling.”

A battle between the 31-0 Haney and the 24-1 Garcia would without doubt be a huge event for the sport of boxing. One that might even draw in casual fans. While Haney would likely walk into the match as a huge favorite, Garcia can hit like a sledgehammer. What’s more, he’s extremely confident and fun to watch. He may have looked less than stellar when he battled Gervonta Davis last spring in a fight where he ended up being knocked out, but the man remains a popular – and gutsy – commodity. Furthermore, according to talkSPORT’s Michael Benson, Garcia and Haney met times as amateurs, with each fighter winning three of the six contests.

There’s little doubt, however, that Haney has proven to be one of the top talents in the professional ranks. He recently won the WBC junior welterweight title by completely dominating Regis Prograis, a man who was widely seen as Haney’s equal. Although there’s been much discussion of Haney battling Gervonta Davis, it’s team Garcia that team Haney is having discussions with.  “Nothing has really taken off,” Haney told The MMA Hour of a possible fight with Davis. “His team hasn’t reached out to us or anything like that.”

Still, Haney is obviously eager to have a legitimate mega fight, and a throwdown with Garcia would more than fit the bill. “The Gervonta Davis fight is the biggest fight in boxing today and Ryan Garcia is not too far behind, so one of those two fights for sure,” Haney told The MMA Hour. “My thing now is I’ve accomplished everything in the lightweight division. I became undisputed, I got all the belts, I did all that. Now it’s about making the biggest fights happen for the most money and that’s a formality.”