Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney could be closing in on upset losses on the joint May card in New York’s Times Square. Ryan (24-1, 20 KOs) takes on Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz, while Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) takes on former WBC/WBO 140 lb champion Jose Ramirez on Turki Al-Sheikh’s undercard.
Impact of dismissal
Ryan and Haney picked the wrong opponents to fight after a 13-month hiatus. 2012 Olympian Jose Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs) and former WBA Welterweight Champion Pitbull Cruz are not the right opponents for either fighter after a year of inactivity. Those two would be a nightmare for Garcia and Devin, even if they were active.
If Kingry and Haney had good shot resistance and could handle a shot to the basket, facing Ramirez and Cruz wouldn’t be a big deal. That is not the case. Both are fragile fighters who are broken in battle.
Garcia-Cruz will fight at a catchweight of 143 or 144 at welterweight, which is perfect for the strong 5’4″ Cruz (26-3-1, 18 KO). In Pitbull’s two fights at 140 against Jose ‘Ray’ Valenzuela and Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero, he punched with more power.
Rayo probably would have been knocked out if he hadn’t used his new Lomachenko-esque movement to avoid Cruz’s constant pressure. Kingry does not possess the same movement ability and will be forced to fight for three minutes each round at close range. If Ryan can’t hurt Pitbull, he’s going to be in trouble.
50-50 fights
Turki gave fans two great 50-50 fights with his Garcia-Cruz & Haney-Ramirez doubleheader in Times Square. If he’s okay with Ryan and Devin potentially losing their fights, that’s great. Al-Sheikh is already planning a rematch for Garcia-Haney in October in Riyadh. That fight will be tainted if one or both lose their tune in May.
This is a better deal for the fans at the PPV than if these two were fed cans of tomatoes, as is the custom for rich, high-profile fighters coming off extended layoffs.
Jose Ramirez lost to highly ranked undefeated welterweight contender Arnold Barboza Jr. by unanimous decision of the judges in 10 rounds on November 16. That fight was competitive.
If Barboza Jr. was stationary, he wouldn’t win because Ramirez worked him while he was in the pocket. Devin doesn’t have the same evasive style as Barboza, nor does he possess his power. He won’t be able to do the same things he did to fight Ramirez.
