Introduction

The upcoming clash between Devin “The Dream” Haney and “King” Ryan Garcia will be an epic. It’s one of the year’s most anticipated boxing events, set to take place on April 20th.

Devin Haney vs Ryan Garcia is not your typical boxing rivalry. There is a special personal touch added for this upcoming clash, dating back to their amateur days. Since then, they’ve both risen to become two of the biggest names in the sport. 

As the leading sports odds feed provider – TXODDS has you covered. We’ve gone deep on the background of both fighters. We’ve examined their physical and mental make-up so that you can make an informed wager. 

Tale of the tape

Tale of the tape – headline analysis

Both fighters have physical advantages over each other. Garcia is 5 ft 9 (175cm), one inch taller than Haney, who is 5 ft 8 (173 cm). However, Haney has the upper hand in reach. His span of 71 in (180 cm) compares favourably to Garcia’s 70 in (178cm).

This reach advantage could play a significant role in Haney’s offensive strategy. Haney can get to Garcia quicker while maintaining a reasonable distance to keep himself from getting hit.

Amateur rivalry

Thanks to Haney and Garcia’s long amateur history, this fight is going to feel like an incredible tie-break. The two have fought an incredible six times! First meeting in the ring as ten-year-olds, the two are well acquainted with being in the ring together. In their six amateur bouts, they are locked at three wins apiece. Their last bout was around ten years ago when they were sixteen – which Haney won.

In their recent Devin Haney vs Ryan Garcia DAZN faceoff, they traded stories about their time fighting each other in those amateur competitions.

Recent fights – Devin Haney

After unifying the Lightweight belts by dominating George Kambosos (twice), Haney took on the illustrious Vasyl Lomachenko. Haney and “Loma” fought a close battle (see compubox stats here).

The judges all gave it to Haney with a score of 115 – 113. The decision was the subject of heated debate after the fight.

However, it was his most recent bout against Regis Prograis that got everyone’s head turning. After the Lomachenko bout, his fight against Prograis couldn’t have been any more different. This was his first fight up a weight class to 140lbs. Haney dominated Prograis throughout the bout, winning by unanimous decision.

People were starting to get the hint – Haney’s undefeated record is no fluke, and he’s the champ on merit.

Recent fights – Ryan Garcia

Ryan Garcia challenged Gervonta “Tank” Davis for the WBA Lightweight title in April 2023. The fight represented a real step up for Garcia, as “Tank”, undefeated, is considered a modern great. Garcia exuded confident during the promo run, but the fight itself didn’t go so well for him. A savage Gervonta Davis hook to the body left Garcia on a knee – he didn’t beat the count.

He returned to action in December 2023 against Oscar Duarte, with a real turnaround performance. Duarte tried to get to Garcia’s body but lacked the footwork of Tank Davis. Eventually a right hook to the head destabilising Duarte, allowing Garcia to apply the finish at the end of the 8th round.

Pathways to victory – Devin Haney

Why Haney is the favourite

As the current WBC champion, Devin appears a lot stronger than his opponent. He is slightly more experienced, having fought six more fights than Garcia. His accuracy and precision is almost foolproof, but will it be enough to beat Garcia’s extraordinary power and speed?

Haney is the favourite coming into this match, and for good reason. He may not be a KO king anymore; rather, he has become a more technical fighter. Haney does not typically fight as fast as Garcia. He usually starts his fights quite slowly. Haney analyzes his opponent and then start to lay into them around round three. This really helps with his incredible accuracy and precision.

Haney usually fights from the centre of the ring. He does not chase his opponent; this helps maintain his energy levels and ensures he can fight for as long as he needs to. 

A journey to improvement

His fight against Lomo did not go very well simply due to his defence. He threw fewer punches but landed more. He got hit with plenty of shots – and showed that he has a good chin, completing the fight without being knocked down.

By his next fight against Regis Prograis, Haney’s defence had vastly improved. He was swift and exhibited great footwork. Clearly, the move up to 140lbs hadn’t slowed him down.

Objectively, there are not many reasons Haney should lose. He should be able to outbox Garcia easily. But if he thinks it’ll be an easy night, he could come unstuck.

As mentioned, Haney and Garcia have fought many times previously, and this could lead to complacency from Haney. In the DAZN face-off he stated that he does not think Garcia has “got any better”. That he does “the same thing”. Great if it’s true, but could also mean that Garcia surprises him with something he has not seen before.

Their fighting styles are pretty different when it comes to speed. Yes, they can both throw a fast punch, but Garcia’s fights, for the most part, do not go over seven to eight rounds. Haney could choose to meet fire with fire, or use his talents to secure a points victory. He will need to be ready to go down either road.

Pathways to Victory – Ryan Garcia

Talent with a big mouth

There is no denying Garcia is a marketing mastermind; he knows how to sell a fight and is undoubtedly the king of smash-talking. But beyond that, he carries the potential to upset the odds and emerge victorious. The question that lingers is, will he be able to deliver on the night and prove his potential? 

The reason Haney might lose might just be the same reason Garcia might win. He is famous for his incredible left hook, and unlike his opponent, he is the KO king—twenty out of the twenty-four fights he has won ended by knockout. This is a testament to how strong of a puncher Garcia is. No time is wasted messing around when he is in the ring; he wants the match finished quickly. 

Garcia is not a stationary fighter like Haney and will move around the ring a lot to get the shot he wants. He is a reactive fighter and extremely fast, which is why he is an excellent counterpuncher – he will jump on his opponent before they see it coming. 

Despite being an underdog, he has a great mix of speed and power. It may be a challenge, but if executed right, he could knock Haney out – which may be his best path to victory.

Speed might be his greatest strength but it could equally be seen as a weakness. Fighting fast and strong might have worked for some of his fights, but it may not work on Haney. There is a strong risk he might just burn out quite quickly, which may leave him vulnerable in the later rounds. 

A tough assignment

This might be his toughest opponent since Tank. That match not only earned him the second knockdown of his career but also his first loss. When it comes to fighting styles, Haney and Tank are quite similar – they are analytical fighters, meaning they will ‘weigh up’ their opponent and then go for the jugular once they are confident. As we saw last time Garcia fought Tank, he went full force with speed and power, but Gevonta was more accurate. 

I can’t say for sure if Garcia will be able to outbox Haney, but there is potential for a KO – he will need to switch up his fighting style and do something unexpected to surprise Haney to win. 

This will both be their first fight of 2024, but the two have been fighting consistently for a few years now; they are both fresh out of the ring from their bouts in December. They are stronger, bigger, and better and are tied six for six right now, but who will be able to come out on top? Will it be strength or accuracy?

Word On The Street

Most people in the boxing world and fans are backing Haney to win, however according to Boxing News 24/7 , Haney weight change is a cause of concern stating “WBC light welterweight champion Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) is putting himself through misery just to gain a size advantage, and it’s utterly pathetic. He’s putting his life on the line, draining down enormous amounts of water just to compete against smaller opposition.”

British boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has his money on Haney to win but thinks Garcia could pose a challenge for him “Devin wins the fight, but Ryan’s dangerous. Actually, as a style matchup, Ryan’s actually got a pretty good style to take on Devin,” said Hearn when speaking to FightHype.

British boxer Amir Khan and former light welterweight champion is also backing Haney to win. “Devin Haney is one of the best fighters I’ve ever sparred with. His movement, his power, it’s all top-notch. He’s definitely a force to be reckoned with in the ring. But Ryan Garcia definitely packs a punch – especially with that left hook of his. But let’s be real, he’s a bit of a one-trick pony in my eyes,” as reported by Fighters Corner.

US rising boxing star Shakur Stevenson has also weighed in on the fight, backing Haney. “Yeah, in my opinion, Devin beats him, and I agree with Robert Garcia’s son. He probably gets stopped by Devin just because of what I’ve seen. I’m on the outside. For me on the outside, he’s been kind of like more so focused on selling tickets for the fight,” he said to ESNEWS.

My Predictions

One thing I will say for sure : Devin Haney vs Ryan Garcia will not be a friendly match. Both fighters will undoubtedly be giving it their all. I personally believe that the fight will go the full distance and Haney will win by unanimous decision. Some think that Haney is struggling in his new weight class of 140. If his latest fight is anything to go by, I personally think he performs better; he looks more muscular and more confident. 

Additionally, I think he is the slightly better boxer out of the two and will outbox Garcia. I can see Garcia burning fuel fast and flaming out. If that happens it could end similarly to his fight against Tank Davis. Look out for Haney targeting the body – he will have watched that fight. That being said I do believe Garcia will be far more resistant to quit against Haney due to their history. 

If Haney wins, he could be matched up with Tank Davis next. I would personally would love to see that fight made. They are two of the greatest boxers in the division, and their fighting styles would make for an explosive fight. 

The Odds

Besides who will be crowned victorious, if you want to place a wager, there are a few other variables to bet on. 

How Many Rounds Will It Go?

It will be hard to predict how many exact rounds; anything could happen in boxing. Haney’s recent bouts have been going he full distance whereas Garcia’s fights tend to be up before the final bell has rung. 

Decision odds for each fighter

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