The bad blood between WBC lightweight champion Devin ‘The Dream’ Haney 26-0 (15) and interim WBC titleholder Ryan Garcia 21-0 (18) is continuing to bubble following Haney’s 12-round unanimous decision in over Jorge Linares 47-6 (29) at the Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday night.
The 22-year-old Haney started fast against Linares, 35, but had to hold on to survive in the later rounds after being hurt by the Venezuelan veteran just before the bell to end the 10th to win by scores of 116-112 twice and 115-113.
Garcia, 22, who is coming off a career-best win over former world title challenger Like Campbell 20-4 (16) who he stopped in even frames in January, was less than impressed by the performance.
“I would have slept you,” he told Haney.
Now Haney has hot back at Garcia, who withdrew from his scheduled fight against Javier ‘El Abejon’
Fortuna 36-2-1 (25) next month citing mental health issues. Fortuna will now face former IBF super featherweight champion and fellow southpaw Joseph ‘Jo-Jo’ Diaz 31-1-1 (15) at the Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles on July 9 instead.
“Ryan Garcia is the true definition of a coward,” Haney wrote in a series of three Twitter posts. “A few weeks ago he wanted sympathy because he was having ‘Mental Health issues’ this week he talking shit about me… it’s funny now he came out after Javier Fortuna found another opponent.
“And if Luke Campbell dropped you what would have Linares have done to you? And let’s be real you never wanted to fight Linares you ducked him like you ducked me.”
Haney also got into a Twitter beef with Campbell, calling him ‘Luke the Fluke’ and asking him who he had ever beaten before walking back his comments.
“I respect Luke as being a warrior in the ring I would never take that away from him… but at the end of the day in any of his big fights he’s never pulled off the victory,” Haney posted.
But Garcia wasn’t the only one who questioned Haney’s performance. Top trainer Robert Garcia gave his thoughts on the fight on his Robert Garcia Unfiltered podcast.
“What I saw in the ninth round was Haney’s punches are not as strong anymore, not as crisp, not as solid anymore,” he said.
“You could tell his punches weren’t strong anymore and they weren’t going to hurt Linares. If he didn’t hurt him early, he wasn’t going to hurt him late. In the ninth round, I told everybody, his punches are not as crisp.
“Linares did get him in the 10th and probably won the last three rounds. That leaves a lot to talk about where Haney really is.
“Haney did not finish strong, he slowed down a lot, he got stunned a little. The last three rounds, he probably lost, so that says a lot.”
