Absolute lightweight champion American Devin Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) previously told (and even showed) the story of how he allegedly fiercely kneaded the WBA belt holder below Dominican Hector Luis Garcia (16-1, 10 KOs) during sparring. According to Haney, Garcia was not impressed, after which he was sent home.
Dominican
told their version of what happened: “They only posted a small episode of sparring. Those are Haney’s most successful moments. But there was a lot that they decided not to show to the fans. Look, sparring is sparring. During sparring, you are not trying to win without fail, you work out different moments, simulate situations. You are studying. I would like to meet him at the lightweight limit in a real fight. I would like to prove that sparring and fighting are completely different things.”
“I was invited to help prepare. I immediately said that I was not going to give in, I was not going to run away, because I have the experience and skills necessary for this. He made it clear that he would not be able to feed his self-confidence against my background. The first sparring was very competitive. In the second, they tried a different tactic, a more aggressive one. I was never invited to the third sparring, ”says the Dominican.
According to Garcia, “there is only one option. I was not stylistically suitable for this job, as they were preparing for the fight with Joseph Diaz, and we are still fighters of different types and styles.
Soon Haney will have a fight with the ex-lightweight leader. Promoter Bob Arum said the other day: “Basically, the Haney-Lomachenko fight is ready.” Reviewers said last week that this fight already has a date. And the champion hinted at a paid broadcast.