The Haney – Garcia rivalry

World Boxing Council super lightweight champion Devin “The Dream” Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) and former world Interim champion Ryan García (24-1, 20 KOs) clash on Saturday, April 20 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Haney is one of the finest pound-for-pound fighters today. At just 25 years old, he has already captured the undisputed lightweight championship and successfully defended his supremacy at 135 pounds against Vasiliy Lomachenko.

After this fight, Haney debuted at 140 pounds last December with an overwhelming victory over former champion Regis Prograis. Now, Haney will look to make a defense of his WBC super lightweight title against Ryan Garcia.

García (24-1, 20 KOs) established himself as one of boxing’s main attractions in April of last year in a megafight against Gervonta Davis. García but was down twice and was knocked out in the seventh round by a body blow but the event generated great expectations and excellent Pay Per View sales.

Garcia, 26, returned to 140 pounds in December for an eighth-round knockout of tough Oscar Duarte. That result took him back to the big leagues of boxing, getting the opportunity to face Haney.

Both fighters already have history. They met six times in amateur boxing, splitting the series 3-3. The last time they fought was in January 2015, in the quarterfinals of the US Junior National Championships. Haney won that three-round bout by unanimous decision when both were 16 years old.

Almost 10 years later, they will return to the ring but now it will be different, both have had wars and have acquired experience and knowledge in professional boxing.

A resounding victory would catapult Haney into the stratosphere. We know Haney can use his elite jab, footwork, and ring IQ to outclass almost anyone. But the power could also be there, at 140 pounds.

For Garcia, this is another opportunity to show that he truly is an elite fighter and without a doubt, if he wins, he will reach another level of stardom.

Haney vs. Garcia, which is one of the most anticipated fights of the year and has all the ingredients to become a classic, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Haney Promotions, KingRy Promotions and Matchroom Boxing and will be broadcast live on DAZN.