Devin Haney has been keeping a keen eye on his forthcoming adversary, Ryan Garcia, who recently expressed a desire for a UFC bout against Sean O’Malley. However, when posed with the question of whether Garcia stood a chance against O’Malley in the octagon, Haney didn’t mince his words.
“F*** no,” Haney bluntly declared during an appearance on The MMA Hour.
Set to clash in the boxing ring on April 20 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Haney and Garcia’s impending showdown has garnered significant anticipation.
While Haney firmly backs O’Malley in an MMA contest, he maintains the same confidence in Garcia’s prowess if the bout were confined to the squared circle.
“Sean is MMA, that’s where he’d dominate,” Haney asserted. “Ryan is boxing, he’d dominate in boxing.”
Haney also weighed in on Garcia’s social media exchanges with O’Malley and why some boxing pundits might question Garcia’s focus on the fight.
Unfazed by the potential distractions, the undefeated 25-year-old asserts that he expects nothing less than the best version of Garcia to face him in April.
“If he’s f***** up mentally, he’s f***** up mentally,” Haney remarked regarding Garcia. “If he’s playing mind games, tricks, antics … you’ve got to remember this guy’s an actor, a TikToker. He’s a YouTuber, I don’t take him serious.”
The conversation shifted towards an MMA vs. boxing matchup, specifically the impending clash between former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and Anthony Joshua scheduled for March 8 in Saudi Arabia.
Reflecting on Ngannou’s boxing debut against Tyson Fury, where Fury narrowly secured victory, Haney admits he may have underestimated Ngannou initially. However, he now acknowledges Ngannou’s prowess and acknowledges the unpredictability of the heavyweight division.
“The heavyweight division is just different,” Haney commented. “[Ngannou] is a freak. [He dropped Fury with] one punch.
“I think he has that neutralizer, I think he’s very strong, he’s literally a freak. You can’t count him out. But I do think A.J. is going to win, yes, but [Ngannou] is just not somebody you can count out.”
