Ryan Garcia vs. Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz is still in talks, looking at a possible catchweight at 144 lbs for their welterweight clash in May in Times Square in Manhattan, New York. This is a Turki Al-Sheikh doubleheader event, with Devin Haney fighting former WBC and WBO light welterweight Jose Ramirez in a grueling matchup.

Garcia-Cruz is 144 years old

Fighting at welterweight is not good for the short 5’4″ Cruz (26-3-1, 18 KOs) because he was young, even when he was fighting at lightweight. It will be interesting to see if Pitbull has more power at 144. If he is more dangerous at his weight than 140, Kingry (24-1, 20 KOs) could be in for a tough fight.

The horror for the Turks would have been that Garcia and Haney would have lost their playoff fight that night, sending them to their October matchup with a humiliating defeat. Ryan has a lot of pride and can refuse to fight Haney without trying to avenge his loss to Cruz by fighting him in October instead. It would be up to Turki if he still wants Garcia and Haney to fight and lose.

Haney’s opponent, 2012 US Olympian Jose Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs), may have too much skill for him. This is a guy that Devin would have had a hard time beating even before Ryan beat him last April, but once he’s defeated, he’ll be in danger against a puncher like Ramirez.

Haney Meets Ramirez

When Haney agreed to fight Ramirez, he may have thought he had another Regis Prograis who could box out his punches and catches. However, Ramirez is a much better fighter than Prograis, and the tactics Haney used against Regis – striking, shaking, and walking – will not work against the more experienced Ramirez. They often meet these types of fighters during their professional and professional matches.

Update: Discussion continues #GarciaCruz…there is no financial agreement yet and a price increase is possible at 144 pounds.

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— Salvador Rodriguez (@ChavaESPN) January 19, 2025