Following a bizarre chain of events that many boxing observers have claimed is the most unusual they have ever seen, the fight between Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia is still on for Saturday night with some revised provisions. The 12-round fight is set to anchor the main Haney vs. Garcia fight card (9 p.m. ET) from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The fight had been set as a title defense of the WBC junior welterweight crown for Haney, but after Garcia missed weight by 3.2 pounds Friday, he is now ineligible for the title. What's more, Haney could be in line to receive a $1.5 million payout from his opponent after Garcia promised in Thursday's final press conference to pay $500,000 per pound if he missed weight. However, Garcia's official financial penalty, per terms of the fight contract, remains unclear.
Haney is a -700 favorite (risk $700 to win $100), while Garcia is priced at +425 in the latest Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia odds. The over/under for total rounds completed is 10.5, with the Under favored at -120 and the Over priced at -110. Before locking in any Ryan Garcia vs. Devin Haney picks, make sure you check out the boxing predictions and betting advice from SportsLine analyst Peter Kahn.
Kahn is a true boxing insider who has his finger on the pulse of what's going on inside and outside of the ring. He has managed numerous world champions and currently manages 20 fighters through his company, Fight Game Advisors. Kahn won the 2022 Boxing Writers Association of America Cus D'Amato Manager of the Year award and was named to the 2023 Florida Boxing Hall of Fame.
Kahn is uncanny when it comes to picking fights. He is an astounding 49-13 on his last 62 boxing picks on SportsLine, returning nearly $4,000 to $100 bettors. Anyone who has followed him has already seen massive returns.
Now, with Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia on deck, Kahn has studied the matchup from every angle and released confident predictions for the fight. You can only see those picks at SportsLine.
Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia preview
In addition to his belief that he is the superior all-around boxer, Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) also has maintained that he thinks he is capable of breaking Garcia's will to win. He pointed to Garcia's defeat to Gervonta Davis last year as an example of Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) fading when things didn't go his way in a fight.
In that matchup, Garcia was floored in the second round with a hard shot from Davis and nearly counted out. He beat the referee's count and continued but appeared apprehensive and unwilling to engage throughout. In the seventh round, Garcia got clipped with what looked like a glancing body shot and retreated to a vacant corner, where he voluntarily took a knee without even attempting to answer the count. Haney says those actions are proof that Garcia is weak-minded, and he plans to put Garcia in a similar position Saturday.
"He doesn't have the skills, he doesn't have the fight IQ and he doesn't have the heart. We've seen him quit before," Haney told the media.
Despite all the events leading up to the fight, perhaps the ultimate equalizer for Garcia is his lethal power, with his knockout rate of 83.3% ranking among the highest in the history of the lightweight division. He is known for a devastating left hook, a sneaky uppercut and punishing combinations. Because of this, some observers are giving him more than just the proverbial puncher's chance Saturday.
Bernard Hopkins is one of them. Hopkins, the former champion who also has worked as a boxing analyst for numerous networks, is now part of the Golden Boy team that promotes Garcia. He told the media this week that the relative lack of power from Haney (15 KOs in 31 wins) will provide Garcia with the confidence to let his hands go without fearing much of a consequence should he leave openings or make a mistake.
"I think that he can take chances with Devin Haney because I've seen him fight multiple fights, and he never hurts anybody," Hopkins said. "Can he outwork you? Absolutely. But when you're in there with a guy that you know you can take more chances with than not, that's a confidence booster for anybody that's on the other end. That's Ryan Garcia. You can take more chances with a guy that can't hurt you." See who to back at SportsLine.
How to make Ryan Garcia vs. Devin Haney picks
Kahn likes the fight to go under 10.5 rounds. He's also made the call on a method-of-victory prop and a confident money-line pick. You can only see his picks and analysis at SportsLine.
Who wins Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia, and which prop is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see Peter Kahn's best bets for Ryan Garcia vs. Devin Haney on Saturday, all from the boxing specialist who has netted his followers a profit of nearly $4,000, and find out.
