Ryan Garcia vs. Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz is still in negotiations and is exploring a possible catchweight of 144 pounds for their welterweight bout in May at Times Square in Manhattan, New York. This is Turki Al-Sheikh’s double-header event where Devin Haney fights former WBC and WBO light welterweight champion Jose Ramirez in a risky matchup.
Garcia-Cruz at 144
Fighting at welterweight isn’t ideal for the diminutive 5-foot-10 Cruz (26-3-1, 18 KOs) because he was small even when he fought at lightweight. It will be interesting to see if Pitbull has more power at 144. If he’s even more dangerous at this weight than he was at 140, Kingry (24-1, 20 KOs) could be in for a tough fight.
A nightmare for Turki would be if Garcia and Haney lost their preseason bouts on the same night, sending them into their rematch in October after humiliating defeats. Ryan has a lot of pride and could resist fighting Haney without at least trying to avenge his loss to Cruz by fighting him in October instead. It would be up to Turki if he wanted to let Garcia and Haney continue to fight after losses.
Haney’s opponent, 2012 U.S. Olympian Jose Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs), may have too much talent for him. This is a guy Devin had a hard time beating before Ryan whipped him last April, but after this loss he’ll 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 to outwit with his jabbing and holding. However, Ramirez is a much better fighter than Prograis, and the tricks Haney uses against Regis – constant clinching, stabbing and moving – won’t work as well against the experienced Ramirez. He often faced such fighters throughout his amateur and professional careers.
Update: Conversations are ongoing #GarciaCruz… there is still no economic agreement and a catchweight is possible at 144 pounds.
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