Slated for later this month, two of boxing’s rising stars lock horns for the WBC super lightweight title as Devin Haney squares off against Ryan Garcia. The former is coming off a strong victory over Regis Prograis in his hometown of San Francisco back in December. Haney won in unanimous fashion as all three judges scored the fight 120-107 and, in the process, became a two-weight world champion at the age of 25. With a record of 24-1, Garcia presents a strong test for Haney as one of the most explosive boxers in the division. After falling to Gervonta Davis one year ago in Sin City, he rebounded with a knockout win over Oscar Duarte in December of 2023. This showdown features two of the sport’s best knockout artists as both Haney (15 knockouts) and Garcia (20) have great track records here.
In this report, SBS will be going over what to look for from each fighter, along with a predicted winner, and even more notes and information about boxing betting.
With a career record of 31-0, the San Franciscan has been fantastic in his career, taking on all challengers and excelling in each bout. He has won in unanimous decision fashion in his last eight fights, besting the likes of George Kambosos Jr. (twice) and Vasiliy Lomachenko. As noted above, he has held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the WBC super lightweight title since December 2023. As of last year, he is ranked as the world’s best active lightweight by ESPN and Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.
In his last fight, the champion put together a masterful showing, dominating Prograis from start to finish. Per reports, except for a cagey first round, Haney dominated every round moving forward. A knockdown in the third round with a right hand to his opponent put him squarely ahead in the fight. Moreover, Prograis looked “battered and bruised” after that and was seemingly without any new ideas of how to best the champion. Finally, even though he had staggered Prograis several more times throughout the fight, Haney seemed reluctant to go for the finish and instead relied on his winning formula of attacking and retreating.
A social media star, Garcia is first and foremost an acclaimed boxer and has an impressive record to show for it. With an overall mark of 24-1, the 25-year-old is an excellent fighter with a ton of awesome accolades. As of last year, he is recognized as the world’s fourth-best active lightweight by The Ring magazine and a top-ten fighter in his class by multiple outlets from ESPN to BoxRec. Known as “King Ryan” he has scored an impressive record of 24-1 with a fantastic 20 knockout wins. While he did lose to Davis last year in TKO fashion, he did rebound with a stellar knockout win against Duarte in December of last year.
Moreover, he is similar to his opponent in the sense that he has taken on various strong challengers and gotten the best of them. This includes knockout wins over opponents like Javier Fortuna, Luke Campbell, Duarte, and Francisco Fonseca. In his last fight, he was able to score the knockout win in the eighth round after landing a combination late in the contest rendering Duarte unable to beat the count of the referee. Of course, this will be his biggest since his battle against Davis. In that bout, Davis knocked down Garcia in the second round and then also in the seventh round from a body shot. Garcia was unable to rise on the referee’s count of ten, leading to Davis being declared winner via KO.
Prediction: This should be a stellar contest as Garcia looks for a big-time statement win against Haney in Las Vegas. Both fighters present solid cases of winning this bout, but Haney has the edge given the fact he has never lost a professional fight and has been wildly consistent in nearly all of his bouts to date. Of course, things could change quickly here given the massive knockout power of Garcia, but Haney is crafty enough to stay out of harm’s way and win via the judge’s scorecards as opposed to pressing the matter and looking for the knockout blow early and often. Take Haney to win against in Las Vegas.
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About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football and basketball across the country. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones. CURRENTLY Business Development and freelance sports writing RESIDES IN Reno, NV EDUCATION University of Nevada BS and MBA EXPERTISE -Sports writing proficiency in: NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and some motor sports -Topical news -Promotional and marketing ideas/updates -Business development Summary Chris Boline serves in a business development sales capacity as his day job. He has previously held sales/marketing positions with The Applied Companies (TAC), KTVN 2 News and the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns, affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. He is a Reno native and is a member of various community boards including the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET and the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA). Chris graduated from the University of Nevada in 2015 with a bachelors in management and economics and also earned his MBA from Nevada in 2023. More about Chris: Past president of the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA) 2022-23 Two-time honoree for University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year (Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, 2017 & COBAA, 2021) 2021 NCET award for Professional Services Organization of the Year with TAC Northern Nevada Human Resources Association 2020 Best Places to Work-Northern Nevada, Second Place with TAC 2016-17 Reno Bighorns MVP from the Sacramento Kings The Nevada Sagebrush editor-in-chief 2013-15 Associated Collegiate Press 2015 Four-year Non-daily Newspaper Pacemaker honoree University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Dean's List honoree (5x) from 2011-2015 Nevada Press Association award for Best Sports Column – Community in 2015 Education
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