Devin Haney (21-0, 15 KOs) will set foot in the ring on Saturday night in the highest-profile fight of his career to date against Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York.
The fight will see the heated pre-fight build-up come to a close, much to the relief of many. Garcia’s eccentric behavior boiled over on Tuesday, with Haney slapping Garcia at a media appearance in New York as frustrations reached boiling point.
Speaking ahead of his fight with Garica, Haney had kinder words for his former opponent Vasiliy Lomachenko, and credited his fight with the three-weight world champion for his subsequent comprehensive performance against Regis Prograis last December.
“I gained so much experience,” Haney told talkSPORT.com, crediting Lomachenko for his improvements following their May 2023 clash.
“I took the experience of Loma and I added it to my experience.
“And just even in my last fight [against Prograis], you’ve seen how much better I was in that fight.
“But that’s what happens when you fight great fighters. You learn, you gain experience and you get better. “So I’m happy that I was able to learn in that fight, get the victory and move forward.”
The victory against Lomachenko remains a contentious issue with some believing Lomachenko was denied a crowning glory in becoming the undisputed lightweight champion.
The criticism of the judge’s score totals took the shine away from Haney’s excellent performance, in one of the best fights of 2023. Haney was awarded scores of 115-113 twice and a score of 116-112 to claim a unanimous decision win.