Oscar De La Hoya believes that Ryan Garcia’s controversial antics, including missing weight and making bizarre claims, are part of a psychological strategy to get under opponent Devin Haney’s skin ahead of their WBC super lightweight championship fight.
Oscar De La Hoya reckons Ryan Garcia’s got Devin Haney all twisted up. This Saturday, it’s Garcia vs. Haney, the WBC super lightweight champ. The pre-fight hype? It’s been hot, trust me.
Garcia’s been acting out, raising eyebrows left, right, and center. Some folks are even questioning if the fight should go ahead. But De La Hoya, his promoter, says it’s just a new Garcia we’re seeing. He’s gearing up for a big fight, after all.
“It’s a different version of him, a version with a chip on his shoulder, in a way,” De La Hoya said during an in-studio appearance on The MMA Hour. “And I think you need that, especially when you’re fighting the top guys. You have to prove to yourself. Especially after losing to ‘Tank’ Davis, he has something to prove and he’s living it. He’s demonstrating it. He’s showing it. He has that chip on his shoulder and he’s like, ‘I don’t give a — about anything. I just want to fight in there and fight the best and win.’ So I respect that.”
But Garcia’s antics go beyond just a “chip on his shoulder”. He’s made some wild claims. Kidnapped by the Illuminati? Proof of aliens? Accusing Haney of doping? Suggesting he’s not well? And then missing weight by 3.2 pounds at Friday’s official weigh-ins, making him ineligible to win Haney’s WBC title.
Things got so heated that the New York State Athletic Commission reportedly demanded a mental health evaluation from the 25-year-old before the fight. But De La Hoya insists it’s all just a mind game. And it’s working.
“Ryan knows what he’s doing. I think he does,” De La Hoya said. “He knows what he’s doing, and if he cares for a subject that he wants to talk about, he’s going to go all out.
“Believe it or not, he is the cash cow. He is the moneymaker. We have a sell-out crowd here at Barclays and the pay-per-views are going to go through the roof. It’s crazy, and it’s all because of Ryan. Yeah, he’s fighting a top world champion who is serious, who wants to be great as well, who is a master boxer, but look at what Ryan has done to him, psychologically. Devin Haney pushing Ryan at the Empire State Building when they meet? I’ve never seen that from Devin. I think he’s a little rattled. So Ryan is doing something that only he knows he’s doing and he’s getting under his skin.”
Is this all just a clever ruse? Hard to say. But it seems to be getting to Haney, especially as Garcia’s antics have turned more personal. Haney shoved Garcia during a faceoff earlier this week and seems to be losing his cool. De La Hoya thinks that could be a problem for Haney come fight night.
“I think Devin [has more pressure],” De La Hoya said. “Just with all the talk that’s been going on. I’ve been watching him closely, and everything from the start to the finish — the finish being getting inside the ring — from the start of the buildup, Haney was calm. He was, ‘Yeah, it’s going to be a good fight.’ But then when he sees Ryan, he gets all riled up. Now, lately, come fight week, he’s pushing Ryan, he’s doing this and that, and he’s really pissed. That’s a sign of frustration, and what I can see is Devin Haney getting so frustrated, wanting to knock out Ryan, and making mistakes. That’s what Ryan has to capitalize on, and I think that’s what he’s going to do.”
De La Hoya’s got a point. At the same event where Haney shoved Garcia, he also threatened Garcia’s father, saying, “Your son is going to get killed!” In a sport like boxing, where roughly 13 fighters die each year from injuries sustained in the ring, death threats are no laughing matter. De La Hoya says Haney stooping to that level shows just how much Garcia’s got under his skin.
“You never want to even think about or wish that upon anybody, especially inside the ring or in the octagon,” De La Hoya said. “We’re in a dangerous sport. When I heard that, I was like, ‘Come on. Don’t go there.’ But again, that’s how brilliant Ryan Garcia is. He got under their skin, you know? Again, it reminds me of Floyd Mayweather, how he would do his antics, and it works! It works. So we’ll see Saturday night what kind of fight we’re going to watch.”
Haney vs. Garcia. This Saturday night. Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY. Be there.