Ryan Garcia vs. Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz is still negotiating and is eyeing a possible catchweight of 144 pounds for their welterweight clash in May at Times Square in Manhattan, New York. It’s Turki Al-Sheikh’s doubleheader, with Devin Haney fighting former WBC and WBO light welterweight champion Jose Ramirez in a risky setup.
Garcia-Cruz at 144
Fighting at welterweight isn’t ideal for the short 5’4″ Cruz (26-3-1, 18 KOs) because he was small even when he was fighting at lightweight. It will be interesting to see if Pitbull has more power at 144. If he’s even more dangerous at that weight than he is at 140, Kingry (24-1, 20 KOs) could be in for a tough fight.
A nightmare for Turki would be for Garcia and Haney to lose their setup fights on the same night, sending them into their October rematch after humiliating losses. Ryan has a lot of pride and might resist fighting Haney without at least trying to avenge his loss to Cruz by fighting him in October instead. It will be up to Turki if he still wants Garcia and Haney to fight after the losses.
Haney’s opponent, 2012 US Olympian Jose Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs), may have too much talent for him. This is a guy Devin would have struggled to beat even before Ryan beat him last April, but after that knockdown, he’s going to be vulnerable against a puncher like Ramirez.
Haney faces Ramirez
When Haney agreed to fight Ramirez, he may have thought he had another Regis Prograis he could box out with his jab and hold. However, Ramirez is a much better fighter than Prograis, and the tricks Haney used against Regis—constant jabbing, jabbing, and movement—won’t work as well against the experienced Ramirez. He often faced those types of fighters during his amateur and professional career.
Update: The talks continue for #GarciaCruz… there is no economic agreement yet and a catch weight is possible at 144 pounds.
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— Salvador Rodriguez (@ChavaESPN) January 19, 2025
Last updated on 19/01/2025
