Ryan Garcia believes Devin Haney will lose to WBA welterweight champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero if he fights in the same timid manner as he did against Jose Ramirez.
Haney (33-0, 15 KO) and his dad Bill have been pushing for a unification fight with Rolly (17-2, 13 KO) all week since winning the WBO belt from Norman Jr. on November 22.
Rolly’s power changes everything
Ryan says Haney will do it “lead the whole fight.” Perhaps he’s right, as Rolly is too powerful to be used in the clinch more than 10 times per round, as Haney did in his ugly, full-clinch victory over Brian Norman Jr.
The idea is to relieve the unpredictable, flawed, sometimes uppercutting Romero of the WBA belt. We then come to the negotiating table with Kingry (24-2, 20 KO), who has the power and can get a larger share of the spoils.
Garcia still has all the advantage
I doubt that having two belts will be enough for Haney to get a bigger piece of the pie against the more popular Ryan or even get a 50-50 deal. Bill must feel it’s worth a try. If it backfires and Rolly knocks out Haney, Bill will kick himself later and the fans will laugh at him for dragging Devin into the match.
Let’s be straightforward, Haney didn’t look his best during his 12-round victory over Norman Jr. (28-1, 22 KO) by unanimous decision. This fight was demanding to watch considering all the holding on to Devin and how mentally lost Norman Jr. was. Choose your poison.
Both fighters were absolutely terrible. Norman Jr. he didn’t want to risk falling again after being knocked out in the second round. And Haney was himself, holding back, not engaging and fighting like a guy with confidence.
If I were Devin’s dad, I would even consider him fighting Rolly. It hits too demanding and would prefer an ancient, rusty mine that has been buried in the ground for over 40 years. It can still turn off if someone argues with it. Haney can only wait for the smoke to clear from Ryan’s fight with WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on February 21, 2026.
Chances are Garcia will win and Devin will be able to fight him later. If he loses, it will be a problem. It wouldn’t be the end of the world anyway. As long as Garcia doesn’t disappear for a year or gets caught with PEDs, he can quickly come back, beat the ham and egg and then face Haney. The fight wouldn’t be as compelling as it could have been, but the fight lost much of the appeal it would have had.
A sticking problem that Devin can’t solve
Things can’t get much worse than they are now. Haney has looked so bad in his last two fights that his performances can be considered failures in the true sense of the word. The only people they liked were Haney fans or those who like to see excessive holding. They call it “astute boxing.” Unfortunately for Devin, there aren’t many of them. So his stock has dropped like a rock since the Ryan fight.
“How do you think Devin handles a fighter like Rolly? I feel like he’s leading the whole fight.” Ryan Garcia said Fightquestioning how Devin Haney would fare if he fought Rolando “Rolly” Romero in a welterweight unification bout.
Why would Rolly lead Devin down
It would be a mistake on Haney’s part not to start against Romero because he doesn’t have the size or power to take him down like that. Rolly is too powerful to be taken down by holding him, and he’s not going to go limp and let Devin hold him without hitting him with his free hand.
Norman Jr. he fought Haney like a complete novice and never adjusted. Rolly would have an entire camp to prepare for Haney’s containment tactics. That would leave him with one option, and that is to run all night like he did against Jose Ramirez.
Devin’s run won’t save him here
– No, I don’t think so [Haney] knocks [Rolly down]. But if the same warrior who fought [Jose] Ramirez shows up, I don’t even think he’s going to win. He [Rolando] he was definitely more patient with me because if he got caught there would be trouble,” Ryan said.
“I want to see him fight Devin Haney. Why don’t you fight him? He’s an open belt. So why don’t you just fight him. I don’t think he [Haney] he likes that mix of styles,” Garcia said of his belief that Rolly has the wrong style for Devin. “Haney loves winning belts. Why don’t you call Rolly out? If it’s that straightforward, then go do it.”
Ken Woods was a senior writer in Boxing News 24 since 2013, covering sports from every angle. With years of reporting from the ring, he delivers fight news, results and analysis that cuts through the noise. Ken’s work consistently focuses on champions, challengers and prospects, giving fans a edged and learned view of the global boxing scene.
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