The highway to a Ryan Garcia-Devin Haney rematch runs proper by the center of Occasions Sq..
When they fought final 12 months, Garcia initially opposed bringing the match to New York, believing a bout between two California boxers belonged within the West. However Oscar De La Hoya, a famous person throughout his personal profession and now Garcia’s promoter, argued that to be actually massive, a fighter needed to conquer the Huge Apple.
Have a look at Garcia now.
It is laborious to overlook him within the metropolis, his face plastered on billboards towering excessive above Occasions Sq. — proper beneath the place the ball drops on New Yr’s Eve and the place he and Haney return Friday evening in separate bouts in a hoop arrange within the heart of the town’s famed vacationer spot.
“I’m just excited to be back here in New York after such a historic event last time,” Garcia said. “It felt so sweet, so we’re going to have to do it again sooner or later, right?”
That is the plan. If Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) beats Rolando “Rolly” Romero (16-2, 13 KOs) in the primary occasion, after Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) meets fellow former 140-pound champion Jose Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs), a rematch of Garcia’s victory final 12 months that was later overturned to a no-contest when he failed a check for performance-enhancing medicine is predicted.
“When I dust Jose Ramirez off on Friday, I’m going to get to your boy Ryan after,” Haney shouted again.
Teofimo Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) defends his junior welterweight title in opposition to Arnold Barboza Jr. (32-0, 11 KOs) within the opener of the tripleheader that might be streamed on DAZN pay-per-view. Six glorious fighters, however the speak of this card is the venue.
“It’ll be all about staying focused. The fighters have to be laser focused,” De La Hoya mentioned whereas standing within the ring that was nonetheless being constructed Thursday as site visitors handed by. “Don’t pay attention to all the noise outside of this ring. It’s going to be very difficult for every single fighter, because as you can imagine there will be people everywhere, thousands of people watching.”
Organizers nonetheless have not revealed all the small print, and De La Hoya wasn’t certain how many individuals may have entry to observe reside from seats close to the ring.
“They’re talking about having us be presented to the ring in a cab or something,” Lopez mentioned.
Getting round in a taxi in midtown Manhattan on a Friday evening? Good luck with that.
“Tell me about it. I feel like they don’t understand,” mentioned Lopez, who’s from Brooklyn. “Especially in Times Square.”
However Ring Journal needed one thing distinctive for its first occasion within the U.S., bypassing the potential for having the occasion at Madison Sq. Backyard or Barclays Middle.
It was on the latter venue in Brooklyn final April 20 when Garcia and Haney met in a occasion that become considerably of a fiasco, largely as a result of Garcia’s erratic habits within the buildup. He was greater than 3 kilos over the restrict the day earlier than the struggle, displaying no care on this planet as he chugged what seemed to be a bottle of beer whereas on the dimensions in the course of the ceremonial weigh-in occasion after the official one had already been performed behind closed doorways.
That left him ineligible to take Haney’s title after he scored three knockdowns and gained a majority choice. Ultimately he did not even get the win, with the consequence modified and Garcia suspended for a 12 months after his constructive check.
Garcia mentioned he was going by some private issues at the moment that included consuming and smoking however is in a significantly better frame of mind nowadays.
“I’m just here living life,” he mentioned, sporting a go well with and tie. “Everybody goes through their ups and downs, everybody goes through their things, but it’s how you come back, it’s how you bounce back and I’m just here to show people that you can bounce back from anything.”
Greater than 100 screens are anticipated to be arrange round Occasions Sq.. There have been no particulars about contingencies for the climate, with the forecast calling for an opportunity of thunderstorms within the New York space Friday.
The weather are one cause why Lopez, who is often in the primary occasion, is content material to struggle a couple of hours earlier this time.
“It’s cool, man. It’s perfect. I don’t mind it,” he mentioned. “Look, the weather is only going to get more chillier outdoors. I’ll be up first, I’m happy with it. I’ll get in and out.”
