The WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney and challenger Ryan Garcia meet for the first time as professionals on April 20 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. However, this won’t be the first time they’ve swapped punches.
For the most part, when fighters enter the ring to do battle, they’re strangers. They compete in the same sport, they have the same goals, and they endure the same levels of sacrifice, but they know very little about each other.
Haney and Garcia are the complete opposite, having sparred together many times and competed against one another as amateurs. For almost a decade, they’ve watched each other evolve as professionals and both now feel they have the measure of the other.
WATCH: Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia, live on DAZN
Last week, Garcia posted footage from a sparring session that was filmed several years ago. "Too fast for them,” offered the young Californian on Twitter (X). There's been a lot of water under the bridge since that time and Haney is a huge favorite to prevail when it matters most.
Have Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia fought before?
Haney and Garcia have known each other for well over a decade and it’s been reported that they locked horns on six occasions in the amateurs. Numerous sources claim that they are tied at 3-3, but not all the results can be verified.
Did Devin Haney lose to Ryan Garcia as an amateur?
In his second outing in the unpaid ranks, Haney reportedly dropped a decision to Garcia. However, “The Dream” would avenge that loss at the U.S. National Junior Championships in 2014, also by decision.
In 2020, Haney told Chris Mannix that Garcia didn’t score any victories over him. "I beat him every time," he said. "Don’t believe anything he says."
Did Ryan Garcia knock Devin Haney down?
Garcia’s father told Blue Blood Sports TV that his son hurt Haney.
"Ryan did give him his first eight-count, so Ryan rocked him," said Henry Garcia.
It should be noted that a referee can administer an eight-count in an amateur fight without a knockdown having been scored.
Haney insists that he’s never been down amateur, pro, or in the gym.
