Ryan Garcia has come in for lots of criticism ahead of his world title grudge fight with Devin Haney on Saturday night in Brooklyn, New York.
The controversial super-lightweight has won just one fight since being stopped last summer by Gervonta Davis. But he is getting an opportunity at old rival Haney and his WBC world title this weekend in the Barclays Center.
While Garcia has multiple wins as an amateur over Haney, he has yet to make a major step up in the paid ranks. He lost his sole WBA regular world title fight against Davis and aside from an impressive body shot stoppage of Olympic gold medalist has not yet picked up a major notable win.
Ryan Garcia vs Devin Haney expected to draw record-breaking pay-per-view numbers
However, despite the general lack of belief in Garcia as a contender there is a massive audience expected for Saturday’s grudge match. That is not in small part to the 25-year-old’s strong social media presence which includes millions of followers.
He has been active on X and Instagram, regularly engaging in Spaces with fans and posting outlandish updates. And he has made it a must-watch fight with his antics, including a number of abusive posts towards his rival.
Promoter Oscar De La Hoya believes it could even be an historic drawing event, telling The MMA Hour host Ariel Helwani yesterday it might be “one of the biggest top 10 pay-per-views of all time.”
Devin Haney believes Ryan Garcia is just an ‘actor’ Ryan Garcia’
Haney is unfazed by the antics of Garcia, and insists that his opponent is little more than a social media influencer and actor. A viral clip this week showed the pair in a GQ shoot where the challenger is beat-boxing while his rival looks on in disbelief before questioning how seriously he is taking the fight.
Garcia has, for his part, embraced his position as the comic relief for the bout. In one sketch on the DAZN channel, he jokingly acted out a scenario in which he tells Haney’s father how badly he has beaten up his son.
It remains to be seen how much of Garcia’s actions have been trolling and how much is legitimate.
Former world champion slams Ryan Garcia as ‘Not as good as the name he carries’
One outspoken critic of Garcia’s has emerged recently as former super-middleweight world champion Callum Smith. The British fighter has competed against some of boxing’s biggest names, and feels Garcia has not earned his current opportunity in the ring.
Speaking on Up Front with Simon Jordan, Smith said: “The sport nowadays with social media is more a popularity contest. People with the biggest following are getting the biggest stuff.
“Rya Garcia this weekend is getting opportunities that his ability doesn’t quite merit so to speak. At the minute I don’t think he’s quite as good as the name he carries so to speak and you get a lot of great fighters who don’t get the recognition.”