With Alan Fox: Devin Haney believes Ryan Garcia has the ‘knockdown’ power that can lead him to victory against Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis on April 22 despite being the underdog in the eyes of a
Although Haney says he’s picking seasoned fighter Tank Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) to win, you can’t rule out an upset win by Ryan (23-0, 19 KOs) because he has the rubber left hook that he can pull a win out of the hat at any moment.
Devin notes that Tank has been left behind in many of his matches and had to save himself with his power. But what if he doesn’t make it?
It’s reasonable to assume that if the 28-year-old Gervonta falls behind Ryan in their fight at 136, he could be caught by a big left hook from Kingry if he gets sloppy.
Ryan Garcia’s speed, length and arm strength will keep him in this matchup, especially if Tank tries to be overly aggressive like always.
Tank can’t just sit and wait on a bench like he did against Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero, because Ryan is not a careless fighter who will leave openings.
Ryan Garcia has the “neutralizer”
“I think it’s a good fight. Ryan has the height, the length, the speed, but Tank has that power. has this neutralizer. He has that experience. it’s tried and proven,” Devin Haney told Fight Hub TV when asked about his assessment of the April 22 Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia fight.
“The safe bet would be Tank, but you can’t count Ryan out. He’s got speed, he’s got power and I don’t think he’s scared. He goes in there to win. We saw Tank drop laps,” Haney said.
The tank can be dispatched and it will be interesting to see if Ryan can outbox him and pile on the rounds in the first half of the fight. Watching Gervonta drop rounds to Rolly Romero, Isaac Cruz and Leo Santa Cruz shows that he is vulnerable in this area.
“We’ve seen him come back in knockouts, but we haven’t seen what he can do when he can’t take on a puncher that just can’t sleep,” Haney said.
“If Tank blew him out of the water, we wouldn’t be surprised. Yeah, yeah, but it all starts with Loma, and once I win there, the winner, we would face each other,” Haney said of who wanted to fight the winner of the Gervonta vs. Ryan fight.
It’s certainly possible that Tank could knock Ryan out early in the match, but it’s unlikely that he will because that would require him to fight aggressively and that would put him at risk of being knocked out.
“The match will definitely take place. We are trying to see where. We are trying to pick a site for it. He might be here [Saudi Arabia]or it could be in Vegas,” Haney said of his May 20 fight against Vasyl Lomachenko.
“One of those two places is where it’s going to happen and May 20 is the date. Just the location,” Haney said when asked if the site selection was the only holdover for the Lomachenko fight.
The tables have turned
“Yes, the tables have turned. For a long time, Loma wouldn’t even say my name. At one point, I think Loma didn’t even know me because he wouldn’t even say my name. I really didn’t think he knew me because he didn’t say my name.
“Finally, the tables started to turn, and now we’re here, and I’m giving Loma a chance. You don’t need to. When it was his turn, he didn’t have to and didn’t.
“It’s different. I want to show the world what I’m capable of. I want to face the best fighters in the world. I’ve been saying that for a long time. Since the Loma days, since the Robert Easter days, I’ve been paying for it and now it’s another an opportunity for me to present it.
“He summons many fighters, but does not fight them. Anyone I ever called out for being willing to fight me, I fought, and this is another time I showed that. I called Loma years ago. Here we are, years and years, and we are fighting.
“It’s about heritage. I wanted to fight Loma. I knew I could beat him then. I still feel the same way, and I’ll show it. You have to see. You have to tune in. It’s definitely going to be a different race than it was years ago,” Haney said.
Showcase opportunity for Devin
“It’s going to showcase my skills and show that I’m the best fighter in the world,” Haney said. “I’m the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. I will continue to beat them one by one. Keep lining them up and knocking them down, and eventually, I’ll earn my respect.
“I definitely get more respect than I did before and after this fight [Lomachenko]I will gain even more respect after being a winner.
“They’re saying it now because he had a bad performance, but one performance doesn’t define you,” Haney said when asked if he thinks Lomachenko is in a career slump.
“We don’t study Loma after his last performance. We study him for all his fights. His best performances, his worst performances. We study him everywhere. One show doesn’t define you.
“He was coming from a war, Ukraine, a lot to make this fight happen and beat a young, hungry lion like Jermaine Ortiz. So we’ll have to see. We expect the best Vasyl Lomachenko on May 20th and the best Devin Haney will show up that night.
“I see myself being dominant from the first round for as long as the rounds last. I see myself being dominant all the time. I’ve felt that way.
“It’s not confidence now because I’ve been saying I want to fight Loma years and years ago. Nothing has changed,” Haney said.
