Devin Haney will face Ryan Garcia in the massive main event of DAZN PPV on Saturday in Brooklyn, capping off one of the strangest pre-fight situations I can remember.
Haney is defending his WBC 140-pound world title against Garcia, whose pre-fight antics have many wondering if he’s really focused on the fight or if it was all just some weird games.
Will Garcia be able to pick up the win and hand Haney his first loss, or will Haney hand Ryan his second professional defeat?
Scott Christ (13-1)
I just can’t pick Ryan Garcia, guys. Even if the entire physique was “trolling”, a lot of energy goes into anything that isn’t his boxing training, and he needs to be much better than ever to win this fight.
Let’s say it’s the best Garcia versus the best Haney. Then Ryan’s chances come down to his strength, as he’s not as good a boxer as Haney and not as versatile. Haney fights smarter, more confidently and reacts less to his opponent. Garcia isn’t a bad fighter, remember, he has some skills and great natural talents that he doesn’t fully utilize, but Haney at his best is an elite boxer on the market today. Ryan has never been that kind of guy, but you want to explain “why.”
If it’s the best Haney vs. a Garcia who isn’t in his prime, Haney will dominate. Devin had been injured in fights before, but he was also trying to get used to those mistakes, even though they were relatively minor. He probably made a lucky decision against Vasily Lomachenko, but Garcia doesn’t fight anything like Lomachenko and, even at his best, he’s not going to test Haney the way Loma might.
There is no other choice here. Haney either keeps it or wins by wide and clear decision. The only thing that can throw Devin off balance now is “if.” To have he’s fighting too emotionally, which has never really been an issue for him, and I just don’t think Ryan Garcia’s attempts to upset him will work when the bell rings. He will just do what he has always done and that is the box because that is the focus of his life. Haney via TKO-11
Will Esco (11-3)
So, I recently got into Helldivers 2 and spent many hours developing sporadic and super samples to fully upgrade my warship (which I recently managed to achieve until the last update). Okay, some more work. I’m on one of the long, 40-minute Suicide Difficulty missions, and artfully traverse the entire map, collecting 31 samples on my own, chopping up Yellow Titans, and blasting Chargers, dodging an army of those pesky Stalkers along the way. I’m such a G
Finally, after investing a full 40 minutes in breeding samples and not taking any fatalities, I reach the mining zone where we set up defenses, expecting to be attacked by enemies who end up swarming in (you know, that’s exactly how the game mechanics are designed). Things get a little tense, but that’s nothing out of the ordinary given the difficulty level, and just as the extraction shuttle lands, instead of just jumping on the ship and completing the mission, one of the random idiots freaks out and calls for a cluster bomb strike on LZ — ALL OVER THE LZ WHERE WE ALL STAND! It wipes out the entire team, including myself, and costs me a precious 30 samples, 40 minutes of my life, and a painful frustration that still haunts me.
This is as relevant as anything Ryan Garcia has said in the last few months. Haney via TKO-10
John Hansen (11-3)
If you watch boxing for a year, you will see something terrifying. People die in this sport, and often. Aidos Yerbossynuly fell into a coma. Tank Davis goes to prison for domestic violence, and a week and a half later he’s released and fighting for a multi-million dollar payout. A judge openly contemptuous of blacks presents a blatant scorecard against the black fighter and conveniently in favor of his opponent, who happens to be a friend and compatriot of her husband’s boss.
Above all else, I think sending Ryan Garcia to fight on Saturday is the ugliest thing that has ever happened to me in my time in the sport.
There is clearly something wrong with this juvenile man. There is plenty of evidence that boxing could see a Kanye West or Britney Spears situation. Musicians don’t suffer brain damage or die when they miss a note. However, fit, focused, fully prepared combat sports athletes fighting at the top of their abilities can and do suffer life-ruining consequences. Garcia is not focused or fully prepared. During the preparations for this fight, he “gets high as hell” and appears at galas apparently under the influence of alcohol. But there are millions of dollars to be made, so friends, family, promoters, management, broadcasters and anyone else with room in their pockets will simply look away from the messy ailments plaguing this man.
Garcia has faster hands and stronger punches, and in another situation he could be overtaken by Devin Haney. But how can anyone assume Garcia is able to capitalize on those advantages now? Haney is the only reasonable prediction and I will stand by this decision because I really want both men to leave the arena with minimal long-term damage. Haney UD-12
Patryk Stumberg (12-2)
As a thought experiment, let’s give Ryan Garcia the benefit of the doubt. Let’s assume that his brief transformation into a side character from The Righteous Gemstones was a high-level psychological stunt and that he is, in fact, at the peak of his powers.
What has he done in the ring to suggest that his peak is even remotely close to Haney’s? Looking mortal against Gervonta Davis could be forgiven; He may be a thug, but “Tank” is a great fighter. There is no excuse for such a performance against Duarte. Garcia’s management hand-picked a lightweight with the most advantageous style imaginable, and he still looked significantly worse than when he stopped Luke Campbell.
Pure speed and power won’t allow him to beat Haney’s punch or handle Haney’s clinch, especially since both of those feats require a level of mental fortitude that Garcia simply doesn’t have. Garcia needs Haney out of the game to have any chance of winning, but I can’t imagine him shouting at someone who stayed placid against a fully focused Lomachenko. Haney takes him to school, potentially causing a overdue game stoppage if Garcia explodes under the stress of being helpless to turn things around. Haney UD-12
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