Golden Boy Promotions founder and chairman Oscar De La Hoya has confirmed that Devin Haney’s and Ryan Garcia’s teams are in talks for a potential fight between the two in 2024. Garcia expressed his desire to face Haney last month and had already apparently given approval for his team to start negotiations for Haney.
Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KO’s) captured the WBC super lightweight title on December 9th after defeating Regis Prograis (29-2, 24 KO’s) by unanimous decision, while Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KO’s)―who fought a week earlier on December 2nd―also competed at 140 lbs where he defeated Oscar Duarte (26-2-1, 21 KO’s) by knockout in the 8th round.
Haney is currently working together with Matchroom/DAZN on an apparent fight-to-fight basis which would easier facilitate a fight between him and Ryan Garcia―who also fights on DAZN through Golden Boy.
With the two Americans also competing in the same weight class, it seems there will be few obstacles to prevent the fight from occurring, provided both parties agree to the conditions that will be negotiated for their fight.
If the fight is arranged, Ryan Garcia will be competing in his first official world title match given Haney’s current status as WBC super lightweight champion, which vastly drives up both the risks and gains that Garcia might face against Haney.
Devin Haney will be involved in his first world title defense if a match with Garcia is arranged, and will be able to expand on his current pound-for-pound ranking if he defeats Ryan Garcia who is currently considered one of 10 best super lightweights in the world according to BoxRec’s official 140 lbs rankings.
Garcia’s penultimate match was famously against Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KO’s) who defeated him by knockout (by way of a body shot) on April 22nd in 2023. While Haney might be similarly tough opposition for Garcia to face, the 25-year old boxer appears to have no qualms in challenging the top of the division barely a year after his disappointment against Tank.
Speaking on the potential match-up, Oscar De La Hoya also seemed adamant that the fight should be made.
“I think Ryan Garcia vs. Devin [Haney] is the fight to make,” De La Hoya said during an interview with FightHype.
“I’ve already talked to his [Ryan Garcia’s] people [and] to Haney’s people and hopefully we are gonna get this done sooner than later.“
