American super lightweight rivals Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia will get an opportunity to put their rivalry to bed as reports have confirmed they will meet in the ring on April 20th. While no venue has yet been picked, Las Vegas will set the stage for this title fight in which Haney will defend the WBC 140 lbs title he won off Regis Prograis last December.
The event will further be jointly promoted by both Matchroom Boxing and Golden Boy Promotions who broadcast their fights on the global streaming service of DAZN. While Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KO’s) is currently signed to Golden Boy, Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KO’s) is still said to be a free agent but has presumably signed temporarily with Matchroom―who he has fought for in the past―on a match-by-match basis.
Haney had fought under the Matchroom banner last year when he faced Regis Prograis (29-2, 24 KO’s) on December 9th to claim his title by winning through a one-sided unanimous decision (UD). Garcia had fought just the week prior on December 2nd and managed to net home a knockout (KO), thus both fighters are expected to compete in their upcoming bout with no physical issues or time-based impairments.
The super lightweight/junior welterweight title bout will not only future two young well-known American boxers, arguably ‘stars’ in the sport, but two genuine rivals which goes back since the amateurs. During their amateur days, Haney and Garcia fought a total of six times against each other and split their wins to have three wins each.
Their upcoming bout will therefore see either fighter put their amateur deadlock to bed by overcoming one another in a high-profile and significant professional bout with a world title at stake. Ryan Garcia will be competing in his first-ever world title match, while Haney has the greater experience on the elite stage by leaps and bounds as he is set to compete in his eight world title bout.
The fight with Devin Haney had previously been sought after by Garcia himself, before alleged distractions from Floyd Mayweather Jr. saw him drifting to fight Rolando “Rolly” Romero (15-1, 13 KO’s) instead for the WBA 140-pound title instead. However, after the breakdown of the Romero-Garcia fight, Garcia realigned his focus on Haney thereafter and has now landed himself an opportunity to finally become a world champion.
The magnitude of the match, driven by the rivalry between the two stemming back since the amateurs and encompassed by the credentials of Haney and the star power of Garcia, may even trump over the similarly heated domestic rivalry between Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KO’s) that came at a head on April 22nd in 2023.
Unlike the Davis-Garcia bout, however, there will be a world title on the line to validify the competitive nature of the match between the two 140-pounders. The two young American fighters, who are both deemed to be close to their prime, will undoubtedly stage a contest that will draw a plethora of eyes and interest from around the world as they compete in a match that will finally help them determine who is the best since they faced each other numerous times as teenagers.
