The boxing world is witnessing an escalating war of words between Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia, with pay-per-view (PPV) numbers becoming a key point of contention. Devin Haney, clearly frustrated after missing out on a major fight, took to social media to question Ryan Garcia’s drawing power, specifically targeting Garcia’s recent fight against Oscar Duarte and his solitary PPV event against Gervonta Davis.
Haney’s disappointment stems from Garcia’s decision to back out of a planned fight with him after learning about the low PPV sales for Haney’s bout with Regis Prograis on December 9th on DAZN. The reported figure of 50,000 buys apparently deterred Garcia, leading Haney to suggest that releasing the official PPV numbers could validate his market appeal and potentially rekindle Garcia's interest in a matchup.
In a tweet, Haney threw shade at Garcia: “If Ryan is such a big draw, why has he only fought on PPV once? Never before, never after. Why couldn’t he sell the last arena [Toyota Center] he fought in?” This was in response to Garcia’s earlier comment to InsideFighting, where he downplayed Haney’s marketability, citing his PPV numbers against Prograis.
Despite this, Haney cannot dispute the immense success of Garcia's fight with Gervonta Davis last April, which reportedly generated over a million PPV buys on Showtime, largely attributed to Garcia's significant social media following.
Meanwhile, Rolando “Rolly” Romero responded to queries from Fighthype about potentially fighting Garcia next, expressing a laid-back attitude toward the situation and mentioning Oscar De La Hoya’s continued interest in a Garcia vs. Haney fight. Romero’s comments add another layer to the ongoing saga, as he awaits confirmation on his next bout.
Image Credit: DAZN