The promising American boxer, Devin Haney, made his thoughts known about Ryan Garcia’s defensive strategy. He lambasted Garcia’s patented shoulder roll, a tactic frequently seen in his bouts. The ‘shoulder roll’ or the ‘Philly shell’ as it’s known in the boxing world, is a defensive technique that involves transferring the majority of body weight to the rear foot and bringing up the front shoulder to protect the chin.
“He’s terrible at it,” Haney was quoted as saying in a pointed critique at Garcia’s much-employed movement. The ‘shoulder roll’ has been a key aspect of many successful boxers’ arsenals over the years. Floyd Mayweather Jr., being one of them, has been a master at performing this move, which Haney believes Garcia fails miserably to emulate.
Garcia, another young American boxer with a meteoric rise in the last few years, has often shown his affection towards the Mayweathers’ style. Nevertheless, according to Haney, the Californian fighter has a long way to go before perfecting the shoulder roll. His flippant remarks have been adding fuel to the fire in a rivalry that has been brewing between the two unbeaten lightweights.
However, it’s not a one-way street. Ryan Garcia has shot back at Haney on several occasions. Most notably, he dismissed Haney as a “false champion” in a similar vein of trash talk.
Both Haney and Garcia have stellar records that stand testament to the incredible boxing talents they possess. Haney currently holds an impressive undefeated streak of 25 wins with 15 knockouts under his belt. Garcia, on the other hand, also boasts an unbeaten record of 21 victories, with 18 of these coming by way of knockout.
Their verbal jousting has kept fans on edge, who eagerly anticipate a spectacle should the two face-off in the ring. With both boxers continually proving themselves inside the ring, many predict a showdown between the two in the near future.
As sports enthusiasts know, rivalries can often bring out the best in athletes. The rich history of boxing has seen many such instances where antagonism has provided the impetus for legendary bouts. The Haney-Garcia rivalry now promises to be another chapter in this thrilling narrative of the sport.
While Devin Haney’s derision of Ryan Garcia’s shoulder roll has added a spicy layer to their intensifying face-off, one cannot detract from the fact that both men are immensely talented. Often, such critiques and counter-jousts merely serve as pre-bout hype more than anything else.
Haney may have attempted to clown Garcia’s signature move, but boxing enthusiasts around the world know that there’s far more to a boxing match than a single technique. The in-ring prowess of both the fighters, coupled with their strategic game-play and stamina, will eventually decide the outcome when they hopefully, and inevitably, step into the ring against each other.
