Devin Haney vs Ryan Garcia ’40 Days’ Episode 2 Recap

As we get closer to fight week, DAZN Boxing released the second episode of a three-part series called ’40 Days’ in support of Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) vs Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) on April 20 in Brooklyn, NY. The hype for this fight has quieted a bit, but this episode aimed to regain the momentum that may have been lost in the last few weeks.

The opening scene begins in Las Vegas, Nevada, as the cameras begin to roll at Haney’s mansion, specifically the backyard, where he speaks to an employee cleaning the pool. Then, it quickly shifts to Haney’s nutritionist, who cooks a meal for him while outlining the goals they have when it comes to food intake. As Haney eats the food that was prepared for him, he goes into not being surprised he is at this point of his career as he’s worked hard for it. The camera tried to follow Haney as he made his way up to the second floor, but Haney stopped them and said, “Upstairs is off limits.”

The episode then goes to the origin of Haney’s love for boxing and how his father took him to the gym when he realized his son liked to fight a little too much. So, as a lesson, Bill Haney would take his son Devin to the gym to get beat up every time he got into a fight at school. In one instance, a trainer yelled to Bill Haney, “Your son is a natural,” after Devin Haney got the better of another kid in the gym. Since then, Bill Haney said he had his son’s back. After being denied going pro, Bill went into taking Haney down to Tijuana, MX, to get his initial experience as a pro.

After dedicating the first five minutes to Haney, the DAZN production crew heads to Dallas, TX, where Garcia’s Father, Henry, asks Ryan what he would like to do for the cameras. Ryan tells his father, “They want to see some like Instagram sh*t.” Garcia went into social media and said he “discovered the blueprint,” which he described as “make videos, go viral, fight and then even more viral.” He went on to say that people are now realizing that he is a strong figure in boxing and pop culture.

Garcia would then go into what he feels are misconceptions about him, which are that he doesn’t train hard and is not dedicated to the sport. Garcia and his Father spoke about the pressure of living up to his videos’ popularity and the attention he was getting. Garcia would credit someone who recorded him hitting a bag in a gym in L.A. and waking up to a bunch of messages after the video blew up.

Towards the end, it goes into Haney’s religion and transitions into the training montage, where both fighters get their last comments before the end of episode two.

My Three Cents 

This second episode was heavily focused on Haney with an attempt to create more buzz for the super lightweight champion. He’s been able to connect with the hardcore fans but has to work extra hard to connect with casuals, as Haney’s personality is quiet and reserved. Garcia looks more focused on this fight than any other one, but there were little to no moments with Derrick James; instead, they were with his father, which may raise concerns. As ticket sales continue to struggle, it’s time that Haney attempts to play up this fight, as that load has been heavily on Garcia‘s shoulder.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is the founder of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms to include online, network TV and promotional companies. He is an American Public University alumnus and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, contributed to FanSidedMMA and ProBoxTV.

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