Devin Haney vs Ryan Garcia: Preview, verdict and suggested bets

Haney previously beat George Kambosos Jr on away turf (twice) as he became the undisputed four-belt world champion at lightweight.

He later enhanced his reputation even further by picking up a controversial unanimous decision victory over future Hall of Famer, Vasiliy Lomachenko, in a bout which could have easily been scored in favour of either fighter.

Always willing to take a challenge, Haney jumped up the pound-for-pound rankings by dominating Regis Prograis en route to a landslide points victory for his opponent’s WBC super lightweight belt at the end of last year.

Widely regarded as one of the most technically gifted boxers around today, Haney has decided to face another big-name opponent in Garcia.

Garcia is one of boxing’s biggest stars as he has amassed a huge following on social media. His best win to date arguably came in 2021 against former Olympic gold medalist Luke Campbell, but he has already fallen short at world level when he was outclassed and stopped inside seven rounds by Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis in April 2023.

Having returned to winning ways against Oscar Duarte in December 2023, Garcia is back in big-time boxing this weekend as he attempts to upset the odds by defeating Haney to become a world champion for the first time.

Haney and Garcia already have a storied history as they clashed on multiple occasions in the amateur ranks, and the build-up to their WBC title fight proves that no love is lost between the talented pair.

The duo were evenly matched in the amateurs, but Haney has since surpassed Garcia and goes into this weekend’s bout as the overwhelming favourite.

Haney’s chances of victory have arguably been boosted by Garcia’s strange recent social media activity, which appears to have occurred as the boxer endures a breakdown of some kind. This forced the New York State Athletic Commission to request a mental health evaluation.

Garcia is going ahead with the fight regardless and with his team around him seemingly willing to let the bout go ahead as planned, we hope that they have his best interests at heart.

Regardless of Garcia’s mental state, he faces a difficult task this weekend. His speed and punch power could cause Haney issues and if he’s to cause an upset, it will likely come via a stoppage.

Haney does not tend to be the most entertaining fighter in the world, but - a la Floyd Mayweather Jr - he’s capable of making certain top-level boxers look very ordinary and we expect him to do that to Garcia en route to another one-sided points win.

Suggested bets

Devin Haney to win on points - 4/5 
Ryan Garcia to win via TKO/KO - 9/1

Date, start time, venue and how to watch

The bout will take place on Saturday, April 20 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. 

The event's start time is 8:00 pm ET in the United States and 01:00 am in the United Kingdom. As for the main event, Haney vs Garcia is expected to get underway at 11:00 pm ET in the US and at 04:00 am in the UK. 

The card will be broadcast exclusively on DAZN PPV in the US, UK and worldwide.

Haney v Garcia undercard

Arnold Barboza Jr vs Sean McComb (super lightweight)

Bektemir Melikuziev vs Pierre Dibombe (super middleweight) 

John Ramirez vs David Jimenez (super flyweight)

Charles Conwell vs Gustavo Vittori (super welterweight)