Trainer Robert Garcia thinks Devin Haney should take an easy tune-up fight if he chooses to fight before the end of the year.
Robert thinks Haney (31-1, 15 KOs) shouldn’t take a tough fight or defend against his WBC mandatory Sandor Martin next because he needs to come back slowly from his loss to Ryan Garcia last Saturday night.
Robert believes that Haney could potentially beat Ryan if he takes a rematch with him, but he needs to wait until next summer before fighting him again. He needs a good game plan and excellent sparring to prepare.
Ryan dropped Haney six times in the fight, but the referee only counted three of them and could have arguably stopped the contest in the seventh round when he was in serious trouble.
A Tune-Up Fight First
“If he takes a tune-up fight before the end of the year, he can get away with it. But a big solid fight or a rematch, he shouldn’t,” said trainer Robert Garcia to Fight Hub TV about Devin Haney should hold off on taking a rematch with Ryan Garcia or facing a high-caliber fighter.
The World Boxing Council will need to give Haney permission to swerve his overdue mandatory Sandor Martin fight so that he can take a tune-up fight because he’s supposed to be next. If Haney asks the WBC to make an exception, they probably will.
After all, they allowed Haney to keep his title after losing to Ryan. They were supposed to strip Haney and make the WBC title vacant, but they let him keep it. That move gave fans the impression that WBC was showing favoritism to Haney.
“The rematch should happen in the summer of next year. If he fights before the end of the year, it should be an easy fight. It’s still a very competitive close fight. It won’t be an easy fight for Ryan either,” said Robert about a rematch between Haney and Garcia next year.
“I think Devin can win a rematch, but it’ll be a smart fight, a good training camp, good sparring and come up with a good game plan.”
What’s left of Haney’s weak punch resistance might be shot after his fight with Ryan last Saturday. It had already been shaky since his fight against Jorge Linares in 2021, and it might be worse now.
In a rematch, Haney will be unable to avoid getting nailed by one of Ryan’s powerful check left hooks, and he will likely fall apart right away once he’s hit.
“When it’s a title fight, and your opponent doesn’t make weight, and you lose the fight, the title should be vacant,” said Robert. “That’s the way it’s always been. If it was a title fight, it only counted for Haney because he’s the champion.
“If you lose, you’re not the champion anymore. The title should have gone vacant. I’d rather not have a title and come back slowly with the Haneys.
