Explaining why tickets for the April 20 fight went unsold, Ryan Garcia said he had the entire promotion on his back due to Devin Haney not drawing. Ryan said WBC lightweight champion Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) “can't crack an egg” and fans don't want to watch him.
(Photo source: Golden Boy / Cris Esqueda)
The bitter reality is that Haney needs Ryan more than he needs Haney. Without Ryan, Devin will be back to where he was in his last fight, with another PPV disaster on DAZN. The pre-match developments may be more entertaining than what fans saw in the April 20 clash.
Haney's master plan: Leech Off Ryan fame
Ryan (24-1, 20 KOs) said he would have been given a bigger split than their 55-45 score due to his popularity and that Haney was not a draw for fans. Kingry explains that fighters like Haney have too much ego to admit that they don't draw.
That may be the case, but it could also be the case that Haney and his father, Bill, wisely chose a fighter who sells tickets and attracts fans to make money they wouldn't get if they fought someone else. .
Haney can't do it on his own without a famous fighter like Ryan attracting fans because he's not someone people want to pay to see.
“I'm underrated. They hate me because I refuse to keep quiet. I feel like I deserve more. Honestly, I feel like it should have been 65-35,” Ryan Garcia told media of what he felt his split with Devin Haney should have been 55-45 in his favor.
“I like to cause big fights. A lot of fighters have egos and don't want to admit that they don't draw, so I have to deal with that. As someone who wants to amplify the sport, money will come and go.
“I have a lot of money. I don't really need more money in my life, but I'll take it. A lot of things could affect it, but I don't think anything I see in battle will affects it. It affects him more,” Ryan Garcia said of low ticket sales for his fight with Haney at Barclays Center.
The truth is cold and hard
“Devin Haney is not a draw, and I certainly carried this promotion personally. No one wants to watch a guy who supposedly doesn't know how to crack an egg. We will not underestimate him. He can have power when I step in there with him. I do not know.
“I am a strong advocate of price reductions. Personally, I think the price is very high and I want everyone in the building. I don't think many Americans can afford a $500 ticket for the top row. I wouldn't even pay that and I have the money to do it, but I wouldn't pay $500 to be in the top row. This is crazy.”
If Ryan knocks out Haney, he should have no problem selling tickets for his next fight with whoever he chooses to face as the new WBC lightweight champion. A win for Ryan would almost certainly lead to a rematch with Haney as a second fight would be needed.
