Every Thursday here at Fight Hype, I pull out my gigantic, bulbous, bulging sack and give truth-minded boxing fans a gander. This week, I shoot ropes of truth all over comments/questions regarding Deontay Wilder joining Matchroom, Naoya Inoue vs. America, and Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia.
Devon Haney vs. Ryan Garcia
Hey Paul.
Hope all is well. I’ve read some of the articles that are addressing this fight. People are not really into it, but me being the boxing fan that I am, I’m looking forward to his fight. I will be buying the PPV. On paper, it seems boring cuz of Haney’s style. I think Garcia has a boxer’s chance. He needs to close the distance. Haney is not a big puncher. He moves around, has good feet, but I think Garcia knows it’s a make or break fight for him. I do think he will get to Haney, but will it be enough? I like Garcia in the late rounds with that crazy left hook. If he lands it, he will finish Haney. I do think Haney is taking the fight very serious. So, what do you think?
-- AF
Hey AF.
I’ve said this a few times before, but I do believe that Garcia has a better chance of scoring the upset against Haney than he did against Gervonta Davis. There are a few reasons for that. Haney is stiffer, less fluid than Tank-- when it comes to both style and mindset. Therefore, he’s more likely to be caught with something random. He’s also a fighter who is very orthodox, again, in both style and mindset. Fighters with orthodoxy drilled into them can sometimes be put off by an unorthodox (or more stylistically crude) opponent. This is a back-handed compliment for sure, but Haney is so well-trained that it remains to be seen how he reacts to being pulled off-kilter. We may find out on Saturday. Garcia may or may not have taken training seriously for this fight (my guess is...not), but he still has that rocket left hook of his, which, as I said in this week’s Notes from the Boxing Underground column, I still consider one of boxing’s best single-shot weapons. If he lands that punch at the right time/place, Haney could be in a bad place and all that good training and gym discipline will be out the window. In short, Garcia has a real puncher’s chance.
The smart money’s on Haney via comfortable decision, but I would not be shocked to see him go down at some point and I also wouldn’t be all that shocked to see him stay down.
Wilder and Hearn: A Match Made in...
Hey Magno.
PBC lost another one. A big one. Deontay Wilder is with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom now. What do you expect from the Bronze Bomber now that he’s with someone who will actually put him in the ring? I guess the first test is with Zhilei Zhang in Saudi Arabia.
-- Kevin from Liverpool
Hey Kevin.
I think Deontay was “lost” a while ago. It was going to be tough keeping a non-retired Wilder at home, facing moderate paydays, and away from the temptation of Saudi Arabia with a 1-2 record in his last three fights and his last really big win coming about 5-6 years ago. He’s grabbing at his retirement money and who can blame him? He looked like docile dog shit in his one-sided decision loss to Joseph Parker in December, though. It’s anyone’s guess if he can get the fire back in his belly for anything resembling a comeback. He’s got the right guy in front of him in Zhang, however, who is predictable and slow like a glacier and always there to be hit. We’ll see. I hope Deontay does well. As I’ve always said-- boxing is better with him in it.
Monster Inoue vs. America
Hi Paul.
I wanted to get your thoughts on everyone saying that Naoya Inoue needs to fight in the USA for him to be a star. That’s a load of crap. He’s already a star and makes more money in Japan than he could in America. Why is there this bias against The Monster?
-- Luis
Hey Luis.
Personally, I’d like to see Inoue fight in the US, just so I don’t have to wake up at 4 AM to see his fights. But, it’s ridiculous to insist that he has to fight in the US. There’s no need. His fan base is in Japan and the money’s there, so why bother leaving his home base? He’s already fought three times in the United States and it really was no big deal to anyone but a subsection of the die-hard boxing nerds who worship at his altar. He’s a great fighter and a generational talent-- who just happens to compete in a weight range very few care about in the West. No big deal. Let him be great where he wants to be great. Realistically, the guy would never be “box of Wheaties” big in the US, even if he fought every fight on prime-time network TV.
Got a question (or hate mail) for Magno’s Bulging Mail Sack? The best of the best gets included in the weekly mailbag segment right here at FightHype. Send your stuff here: paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com.