Devin Haney was an interested observer of amateur rival Ryan Garcia’s fight against Javier Fortuna, sitting ringside at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles to take in the action.
Garcia dropped Fortuna three times to score the sixth-round stoppage, and immediately following the fight, the undisputed lightweight champion Haney weighed in on Garcia’s performance.
“He did what he was supposed to do. He did what we all thought he was going to do. Fortuna is crafty, but he got him out of there. We all knew he would get him out of there,” Haney told FightHype.com. “I think his defense looked a little sharper tonight. I feel like that’s about it. Good speed. It’s hard to tell because Javier Fortuna is not in his prime anymore.”
Garcia again called out Gervonta Davis following the fight and insisted that his future fight plans will resume at the 140-pound weight limit.
Haney fights at 135 pounds, as has Davis in his last two fights.
“If he says he’s ready for Tank, he’s ready for the big fights, so, he should be in a big fight,” said Haney.
The 23-year-old Haney is coming off a unanimous decision win against George Kambosos Jr. in June.
The lightweight king also shed light on his immediate fight plans.
“I want to fight the best fighters in the world. I’ve been saying it for a while now. I’m not ducking or dodging anybody. Whoever it is, we’re ready for them. October, I’ll be back in the ring versus who knows,” said Haney.
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com.