Bad Blood and Big Fights: Outside-the-Ring Tactics Fueling Epic Showdowns. Haney VS Garcia II (The Sequel)
How do you feel about the Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia rematch, with the twist of Bill Haney's 48-hour ultimatum for Garcia to join VADA or NO sequel to the "NO CONTEST" bout? My personal boxing fan opinion, I love the behind-the-scenes work that makes the fight enticing, as the personalities display their Bad Blood toward each other. The tension rises, leading to intense exchanges, yet sportsmanship MUST come out on top leading to fight night or the fighter's mental is questioned. We all have emotions, and when the wrong button is pushed, it elevates boxing. After all, boxing needs to be entertaining 24/7 on social media platforms to optimize its publicity.
Many top-ranking fighters should follow suit—meaning emulate others who have successfully brighten the publicity light on themselves—by embracing the hype, ultimatums, and engaging more openly outside the ring. Bill Haney is doing it for Devin in my opinion. If more fighters did this, their careers would be much more entertaining and highlighted.
When top fighters say they're not giving another proven challenger a payday or imply they won't fight someone because the fighter is "seeking a payday", even when that person has earned the credibility to be matched with them, it strikes me as whack entertainment. It destroys the spirit of the sport— What happened to the competition where one fighter challenges another based on achievements? For instance, the discussion around Terence Crawford vs Teofimo Lopez on "Tha Boxing Voice" 10/7, they highlighted this issue of denying matches and expecting fighters to fight for no money - FREE? It's like playing hopscotch with boxing.
I really applaud the Haneys for taking the initiative by setting an ultimatum and offering a rematch to Ryan Garcia, despite Garcia playing dirty pool, the behind the scenes cameras and microphones keep things entertaining, and boxing needs more entertainment, similar to WWE. But at the end of the night, these fighters are actually testing their skills against each other in the ring. Make it count and build your audience. Lets Go BOXING 2025!