Devin Haney reacts to Ryan Garcia’s ‘dad’ jibe: ‘We’ll see who stops the fight’

Haney will defend the WBC super-lightweight title against his old amateur rival on 20 April

Devin Haney has vowed to make Ryan Garcia “quit” when the Americans square off on 20 April.

Haney will defend the WBC super-lightweight title against Garcia in their first professional clash but seventh overall, after the pair fought six times as amateurs; both men won three bouts each across those contests.

Ahead of their upcoming fight, 25-year-old Garcia said: “I ask you guys to pray for Devin and his health. Pray his dad stops this fight. [Devin] will be needed to be carried out if this fight doesn’t get stopped at the appropriate time.”

Haney, also 25, has now fired back, telling Dazn on Tuesday (13 February): “Henry, his dad, is gonna be there, too. So, we’ll see who stops it. I think his dad will be the one throwing in the towel and stopping the fight.

“We’ve seen Ryan quit before, and I think this won’t be anything different. I think once you have that quit in you, it’s installed in you; you know how to do it. I think he’ll quit on 20 April.”

Garcia came under criticism last April when he suffered his first professional defeat, losing to Gervonta Davis by TKO due to a body shot.

Garcia bounced back in December by stopping Oscar Duarte, a week before Haney outpointed Prograis to win the WBC super-lightweight belt and stay unbeaten. In the lead-up to that title win, Haney relinquished the undisputed lightweight belts.

“I mean, Ryan has always been a good fighter since we were kids,” Haney said on Tuesday, “but I feel like over time I’ve just grown past him, gotten a lot better, while Ryan kind of stayed the same. That’s for me to show on 20 April.

“It’s gonna be arguably the biggest fight in 2024, I think the biggest fight. It’s gonna be a mega-event. It’s gonna catapult me, it’s gonna prove that I’m the new face of boxing, I am the man, and I’m a huge draw.

“I’m a champion, Ryan Garcia is looking to become a champion – which he won’t.”