Ryan Garcia vs. Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz remains in talks over a possible welterweight bout in May in Times Square, Manhattan, New York Weight is 144 lbs. It’s a Turki Alsheikh tag team matchup that pits Devin Haney against former WBC and WBO light welterweight champion Jose Ramirez in a dangerous tune-up.

Garcia-Cruz 144

The welterweight division isn’t ideal for the diminutive 5-foot-4 Cruz (26-3-1, 18 KOs) because he’s so small, even at lightweight. It will be interesting to see if Pitbull has more strength at 144 years old. If he’s more dangerous at this weight than he was at 140, Kingery (24-1, 20 KOs) could be in for a tough fight.

A nightmare scenario for Turki would be for Garcia and Haney to lose their warm-up matches on the same night, sending them into an October rematch after humiliating defeats. Ryan is very proud and may refuse to fight Haney and instead fight him in October at least to avenge his loss to Cruz. It will be up to Turki if he still wants Garcia and Haney to continue to overcome defeat.

Haney’s opponent, 2012 U.S. Olympian Jose Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs), may have too much talent for him. Even before Ryan whipped Devin last April, Devin would have been difficult to beat, but after that defeat, he will be vulnerable against a fighter like Ramirez.

Haney faces Ramirez

When Haney agreed to fight Ramirez, he probably thought he had another Regis Progres who could beat him with his jab and clinch. However, Ramirez is a better boxer than Progres, and Haney’s technique against Regis — a constant flow of clinch, jab, and movement — didn’t work for the experienced Ramirez. Doesn’t work. He regularly dealt with these types of fighters throughout his amateur and professional careers.

Update: Negotiations continue #garciacruz… No financial agreement has been reached at this time, and the net weight may be 144 pounds.

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— Salvador Rodriguez (@ChavaESPN) January 19, 2025