Success in boxing is often measured in wins, but for the 25-year-old who wants to make this decade his own, the outcome that will follow in the next few days will be the same as when a judge calls a fight to a close opponent. It will cause tension. .
For undefeated Devin Haney, Saturday night’s WBC 140-pound title defense against Ryan Garcia is a referendum on his popularity, and the most concrete measure of that is pay-per-view buys.
“I think we know who’s going to win this fight. Devin Haney is going to win this fight, but the real win is the pay-per-win,” Probox analyst Timothy Bradley Jr. said.・I bought (a large amount of) views.” TV, Monday’s episode of “Deep Waters.”
“If the bombs fall, if the tanks hit…yes, you won the fight, but it’s a loss, because everything you imagined was what made this fight happen. The fans… ” so your confidence is kept at the door.
Haney (31-0, 15 KOs), a former undisputed lightweight champion, came off a lackluster DAZN pay-per-view show in December with a stunning victory over former 140-pound champion Regis Prograis.
Haney’s matchup against second-time title challenger Ryan Garcia on Saturday night at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center is further evidence of Haney’s appeal. Last April, Garcia, also 25, lost a seventh-round TKO to the unbeaten Gervonta “Tank” Davis in Las Vegas, generating 1.2 million pay-per-view buys on Showtime and PPV.com.
Does Devin Haney have two fights to win this week?
Watch the full clip here: https://t.co/QsfV9Cz90r https://t.co/QsfV9Cz90r
— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) April 17, 2024
But Bradley argues that the fight’s ratings on DAZN and PPV.com will prove crucial for future purse-sharing negotiations “as we move forward and try to negotiate bigger fights in the future.”
“Tank” Davis has proven he can sell. People come to see him. If you want to fight him, you’ve got to bring something to the table.”
The plucky Davis, from Baltimore, eliminated 27 of his 29 opponents, while the more technical Haney eliminated just 15 of his 31 opponents. Fighting the same man Davis fought exactly one year ago, Garcia has grown his Instagram following to 10.5 million, but Haney’s ability to maintain his appearance will be crucial to his future business interests. is.
“Look at the pay-per-view numbers that will be released by Tuesday morning,” Bradley said. “If they’re high, it’s a win-win for Devin Haney.”
Some feel that Garcia’s erratic behavior during this promotion, both at press conferences and on social media, has tarnished his shine. Because of this, it feels like he only has a chance for punches in this duel with a very disciplined amateur boxing former rival.
“I think there’s a 1 percent chance that I’m going to land a left hook on Ryan Garcia,” Bradley said. “If Ryan Garcia somehow pulls off this upset, my God, I might as well stop commentating and leave the game alone. I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
While Garcia can supplement his matches with iPhones, Haney relies on the age-old tradition of selling primarily based on success in the ring.
The victory over Garcia increased his profile as the future face of the sport. Garcia has expressed interest in becoming the undisputed champion for the second time, with a talented and popular team of current and recent champions, including Davis, Teofimo Lopez, Isaac… and “Pitbull” Cruz. Sabriel Mathias.
But as Bradley said, Saturday night’s win means a lot when you consider the numbers that will be released in the next few days to be a win as well.
