Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney are beginner rivals who’ve circled one another for years within the professional ranks.
LAS VEGAS — Throughout his profession, Oscar De La Hoya by no means averted anybody. It’s what made him a Corridor of Famer and appreciated to at the present time by boxing followers. Now, “The Golden Boy” wears a brand new hat as CEO of Golden Boy Promotions and you’ll sense the fighter in him surfacing in terms of making fights like he just lately did between WBC junior welterweight titlist Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia.
Haney (31-0, 15 knockouts) is The Ring’s No. 1 junior welterweight contender, whereas Garcia (24-1, 20 KO) might be combating for his first title when the 2 25-year-old superstars meet on April 20 in Las Vegas on DAZN.
Performed! @RyanGarcia @Realdevinhaney @DAZNBoxing pic.twitter.com/0J8LxWVpaQ
— Oscar De La Hoya (@OscarDeLaHoya) February 9, 2024
Haney-Garcia will reply an ongoing battle between the 2 since they have been teenaged amateurs, once they fought one another six instances, every successful three.
“I haven’t been this excited for a combat in fairly some time, and this combat right here has me excited, simply the truth that they’re each of their prime makes this particular,” De La Hoya mentioned. “This can be a nice begin to 2024. I’m very happy with Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney. Ryan fought Tank (Davis), and now’s combating Haney. This might be the beginning of a significant profession for Ryan. And Devin Haney, combating (Regis) Prograis, and now combating Ryan, it brings again nice recollections of mine from the Nineteen Nineties and early-2000s when fighters fought one another.
“The perfect fought one of the best. Hopefully, we’re on to one thing. Hopefully we are able to begin a pattern right here and April 20 would be the starting. We’re engaged on a venue. This combat was not powerful to make. Quite a lot of particulars have been concerned, and did take hours and hours, and days, and we lastly ironed all the pieces out. Everyone seems to be completely satisfied. The response from social media and from the followers has been unbelievable.”
Haney is coming off an amazing 2023 by which he beat Vasiliy Lomachenko in protection of the light-weight world championship he gained over George Kambosos in 2022, after which later took the WBC 140-pound belt from Prograis in a dominating, shutout resolution.
IT’S OFFICIAL: @Realdevinhaney will defend his WBC Tremendous-Light-weight Title towards @RyanGarcia on Apr. 20 in Las Vegas.#HaneyGarcia l Stay on https://t.co/op5b8eSOjx pic.twitter.com/DUzGWpoU11
— PPV.COM (@ppv_com) February 9, 2024
Haney’s 2023 efficiency gained him recognition as considered one of The Ring’s and BWAA’s contenders for 2023 Fighter of the 12 months, which went to Japan’s Naoya Inoue, the junior featherweight world champion.
Garcia opened 2023 with a valiant effort in April in a seventh-round TKO loss to Davis, which generated a reported 1.2 million buys and greater than $22 million on the gate earlier than a sellout crowd on the T-Cellular Area.
Garcia closed the yr with an eighth-round TKO over Oscar Duarte in December.
“I do now must make an argument right here that Ryan is on the verge of changing into that fighter who takes on all challengers,” De La Hoya mentioned. “He took on Tank. Then he took on Duarte, who was not a stroll within the park after a loss, and now he’s coming proper again combating among the best fighters on the planet.
“That, proper there, could be very admirable. Like I mentioned earlier than, I’m very, very happy with him. Ryan has held smaller belt, and this would be the first probability to win a significant title.”
De La Hoya additionally confused the combat carries nice significance to Golden Boy Promotions. He has labored with Bob Arum and Prime Rank earlier than. Golden Boy and Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) labored collectively to place probably the most anticipated exhibits in 2023, the Davis-Garcia combat.
De La Hoya mentioned Golden Boy has one of the best roster in boxing, highlighted by stars like Garcia, undefeated 25-year-old Vergil Ortiz Jr., undefeated 27-year-old Jaime Munguia, The Ring’s No. 5-rated tremendous middleweight, undefeated 27-year-old William Zepeda and IBF/WBO strawweight world champion Yokasta Valle.
“There’s little question we’ve got one of the best roster in boxing,” De La Hoya mentioned. “I additionally assume we’re constructing the following technology with fighters like Floyd Schofield and I assure 2024 would be the greatest yr of Golden Boy boxing, within the historical past of our existence.
“I additionally need to put out a message that I need to carry all promoters collectively. We have to work with one another, and I’m very open to that. I’ve at all times been open to work with all people. That’s the best way you get issues executed. That’s the manner you get the large fights.
“My message to all main promoters is straightforward: All of us need to make the followers completely satisfied. I actually do consider each fighter desires to combat one of the best. If we are able to iron out the small print, go away our egos at house, we are able to get issues executed. Garcia-Haney is an ideal instance of that. We have to do it for the game and for the followers.
“This took me weeks to get executed. The fighter in me by no means leaves. I fought the easiest and with this half of my life, I’m placing all my energies into being one of the best promoter I might be.”
Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been working for Ring Journal/RingTV.com since October 1997 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Affiliation of America.Observe @JSantoliquito
