Haney is unlikely to ever compete in pound-for-pound lists again. At the weekend, no one anticipated that Ryan Garcia would defeat Devin Haney.
Not because he lacked talent or physical gifts, but rather because he looked terrible in the buildup to the fight and because, a year earlier, he lost to Gervonta “Tank” Davis and didn’t look very good when beating Oscar Duarte. He was right to wonder if he should have been fighting Haney at all.
This is not to say that I believe Garcia’s victory was as shocking as James “Buster” Douglas’ victory over Mike Tyson in 1990. There’s a furious like Garcia beating Haney consistently; Those who saw it in a different light probably overrated Haney severely.
Haney-Garcia demonstrated Haney’s limitations rather than causing an upset or demonstrating Garcia’s superiority. Garcia did show that he still has real potential when he is motivated. Whether he was having trouble with the weight or just didn’t believe in himself, Garcia rarely seemed motivated against Davis, just like he did against Luke Campbell in 2021, when he got up and won.
I thought he had lost his passion for the sport and had almost given up on it when he lost to Davis because Davis was physically and mentally tough to beat. Against Haney, he was hit by a major right hand, and, surprisingly, in the main round when he hurt Haney, you could see he was secured, mentally, another way to against Davis. You could see his determination in his body language, and he made sure that Haney would have to earn the victory if he was going to win. He refused to be intimidated by the situation at hand. Additionally, he did not have to respect a rehydration clause or boil himself down to 136 pounds. He’s quite possibly of the most perplexing warrior on the planet; in such countless regards he helps me to remember Victor Ortiz.
Garcia’s confidence and motivation came from the knowledge that Haney and Garcia had fought six times together as amateurs and their rivalry. It can be more frightening to enter a dark room at times. Regardless of whether it came a long time back, Garcia had encountered imparting the ring to Haney.
A puncher should always have faith in themselves, knowing that no matter what obstacles they face during a fight, they can overcome them. Garcia is willing to endure difficult times when motivated; the blends of those two, which was absent against Davis, makes him so hazardous.
Garcia likewise possibly enjoyed a major benefit that elaborate him not losing the last 3.2lbs to make weight. By the way, it’s not just 3.2 pounds; it’s 3.2 pounds when a fighter is already dehydrated and has so little to remove. It can remove such a huge amount from a warrior – and keeping that load on was a determined choice. Haney agreed to the payment; perhaps Haney was more liable than anybody of misjudging Garcia – regardless of whether, given their new directions, it’s challenging to fault him for doing as such.
When Garcia continued to hurt and drop Haney late on, you could see how much energy he still had, but Haney was very disappointing from a technical standpoint. While you’re battling a puncher you ought to never battle however settled as he seemed to be; Always act defensively and responsibly. Haney might have been able to make a late push for victory if Garcia hadn’t had so much energy in the later rounds. However, standing as he did made him even more of a target for the left hook. It felt like Garcia’s coming-out party, as it was his best victory to date.
Haney had never fought someone who was as young and muscular as him before. Jorge Linares, Yuriorkis Gamboa, and Vasiliy Lomachenko were all past their prime when he fought them. Regis Prograis was 34 when they fought, and perhaps he hasn’t been the same since losing to Josh Taylor. No one had ever made Regis Prograis look so old.
I was censured for proposing, beforehand, that Haney was like me with more monetary support. By which I implied he’s a decent contender with the assets to battle reasonable rivals, as resigned title holders, who cost more cash and who are past the span of less compelling advertisers, for example, those I worked with. That sort of sponsorship is a gift and was utilized, for Haney’s situation, to convey high-profile rivals all at once any possibility ought to have beaten them, and to fabricate Haney’s name. He was also fortunate to be able to fight George Kambosos, a less-than-ordinary champion, instead of Lomachenko. Haney’s a strong warrior who’s been directed well overall – and I believe that displayed against Garcia.
Haney has been compared to Floyd Mayweather at times, but after Mayweather was injured by Shane Mosley in 2010, he went on to win every second of their fight. Haney performed like he had forgotten how to box after landing a big shot on Garcia in the first round. He squared up after his jab went out of control. Fighters must rely on their strengths when competing against formidable opponents at the highest level; Haney is at his best when he uses his jab rather than trying to punch with force. He demonstrated his limitations by sacrificing his strengths when he was under the most pressure he was used to, against an explosive opponent. This does not mean that Haney is not world-class or a solid champion fighter; rather, it means that he is not a pound-for-pound level talent. Getting injured early made him think he expected to gain favor with Garcia, and that was some unacceptable methodology.
He has the potential to return and win titles in the future; however, he will also face opponents whose power is comparable to Garcia’s, so he will need to learn to be more deceptive. He wants to trust in himself; he likewise needs to disregard those recommending he’s had a particularly extreme battle he may in all likelihood at absolutely no point in the future be something very similar. At 25 Haney’s sufficiently young to recuperate and come back once more – he’s a generally excellent warrior. I simply don’t think he’ll end up on pound-for-pound records once more, or that he should have been on any in any case.
Shakur Stevenson, who, in contrast to Haney, appears likely to succeed Mayweather, would have easily handled Garcia. He’d beat Haney, as well. Instead of Garcia’s qualities, what we saw in Haney-Garcia was more about what Haney wasn’t. He showed how he thinks when he’s under pressure. He additionally showed a lot of heart to continue getting back up subsequent to getting wrecked, and he endured it – his face was enlarged. However, I believe he was mentally unprepared, despite the fact that he believed he had reached the highest level. That changes ought to have been made but on the other hand weren’t implies his corner – drove by his dad, coach and administrator Bill – merit a portion of the fault for his most memorable loss.
Paulie Malignaggi’s Picks: Haney’s Unlikely To Ever Return To Pound-For-Pound Lists After Being Exposed By Garcia https://t.co/18iQbnjXa6
— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) April 27, 2024
Before the rematch with Garcia, Haney still has the support to fight a rebuilding fight, which is what he should do. He needs to fight and defeat another opponent mentally and physically before fighting Garcia, and then fight Garcia with a better strategy. Their battle will demonstrate one of the battles of 2024, so there’s positively cause for a rematch.