So as this is being typed on Wednesday afternoon, it looks as though the fight between WBC junior welterweight champion, Devin Haney, and Ryan Garcia, scheduled for this Saturday night at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, New York, will actually take place.
That wasn't always the case the past couple of months as Garcia did his best Alex Jones/Antonio Brown impersonation on social media. Many believed that this event would -- or should -- be canceled.
But alas, we are well into fight week.
Golden Boy Promotions
"I'm happy and we're excited," said Golden Boy Promotions president, Eric Gomez. "It's going to be great just seeing both guys in the ring."
While Garcia's eccentric behavior was certainly good for likes and retweets, it most likely played a negative role in ticket sales. To put it kindly, it has been sluggish at the box-office. There have been numerous posts on X pointing out the wide swaths of seats that are available for this event which will take place at the home of the Brooklyn Nets.
It's one thing to purchase this event on pay-per-view from the comforts of your home. But to get to this event many fans would have to invest in flights, lodging and tickets (which were over-priced at the beginning, and have since been flexed down).
But Gomez doesn't seem overly concerned, telling SNAC.com on Monday, "It'll be good, they (tickets) are moving again with a lot of the marketing this past weekend. So it's starting to pick up. I think it's going to be strong. It'll look good on TV."
"I don't think it's going to sell-out but it'll be strong," he added.
Another factor is that neither fighter is from New York. They are both West Coast boxers. Haney hails from the Bay Area in California, and is now based in Las Vegas. Garcia grew up in Victorville, California. Both are West Coast boxers. Los Angeles or Vegas would've been ideal locations, but the reality is that with the NBA playoffs starting this weekend, many buildings simply weren't available. Also, with Canelo Alvarez and PBC putting a hold on May 4 at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas wasn't an option for this particular weekend given the close proximity of the two promotions.
"But New York was always a place in the back of our head because it's a big media market. It's going to help us a lot, especially on the pay-per-view," pointed out Gomez.
On Tuesday at a photo op at the Empire State Building, Haney shoved Garcia forcefully. This prompted the New York Mets to cancel a first pitch ceremony involving the two for fear of another incident. (Wonder what Lenny Dykstra and Daryl Strawberry would think about this.)
Devin Haney SMACKS & PUSHES Ryan Garcia in HEATED face off at Empire State as brawl almost happens!
Regardless, expect a pretty good crowd to turn up in Brooklyn this weekend.
"It's been a tough promotion but I think it'll do a ton of business this week," said leading ticket broker, Jim Boone of KO Tickets. "Based on the number of calls I'm getting -- and since yesterday my phone has been ringing off the hook -- I think a lot of people waited till the week of the fight to see Ryan in New York."
''Once those guys are on the scale (on Friday) and weigh-in, and they know it's a fight -- they're going to do a ton of business."
Matchroom Boxing
Maybe having people questioning your sanity isn't the greatest marketing campaign. The hope is that there will be a late walk-up to what has been a rather bizarre promotion.
"Boxing is always late (in terms of ticket sales), but Ryan has pushed that late to the extreme, and people were concerned that he was not going to fight," stated Boone.
ON THE RECORD
As for the fight itself, I have canvassed the opinion of trainers, matchmakers, gamblers and managers in the game and I have still yet to find anyone that tells me that they are picking Garcia to win this fight. He's a significant underdog for a reason. As of Wednesday Haney is listed at -900, and that number has consistently moved in that direction as we get closer to the fight in favor of the defending champion.
Showtime Sports
Some believe that Garcia has a 'punchers chance' with his counter left-hook, but oftentimes that is a euphemism for getting lucky. In this match-up, Haney is the more technically sound and fundamentally grounded fighter. Also, he looks like he has his legs fully under him at 140.
Personally, the question here is just how dominant of a victory will Haney have on Saturday night. Will he have the run-of-the-mill decision, or will he make a bit of a statement and score a stoppage.
3KR
The '3 Knockdown Rule is back, Mario Lopez and I preview this fight, and look back at the last few weeks in boxing:
THE 3 KNOCKDOWN RULE EPISODE 41 | HANEY VS GARCIA
To subscribe on your preferred podcast platform, click on the Linktree:
3knockdownrule - Listen on YouTube, Spotify - Linktree
FINAL FLURRIES
On this pay-per-view undercard, Arnold Barboza faces Sean 'Puffy' McComb, while Charles Conwell makes his GBP debut against Nathaniel Gallimore...'Scrappy' Ramirez and 'Bek the Bully' round out this pay-per-view card that begins on DAZN and PPV.com at 8 pm, ET/PT.....For all your ticket needs, Boone can be reached at 702-591-1638, and his X account at @kotickets....Boone tells me that the the May 18 show in San Diego featuring Emanuel Navarrete and Giovanni Santillan is moving very well...I can be reached at k9kim@yahoo.com....
