Ryan Garcia backs Devin Haney to beat Liam Paro and points to leaked sparring footage

Ryan Garcia expects Devin Haney to beat Liam Paro in their proposed welterweight unification fight, backing his rival as both men pursue further world titles.

The WBC champion pointed to footage of Haney and Paro sparring as the reason for his prediction. Haney’s WBO title and Paro’s IBF belt would be at stake in a fight reportedly being lined up for San Francisco on Saturday 19 December.

Garcia also named Teofimo Lopez and Floyd Mayweather as potential opponents for himself, with a second meeting against Haney remaining a longer-term possibility.

Ryan Garcia: “I am pretty sure he will”

Speaking on his Kick stream, in comments published by Boxing News on 29 October, Garcia said he expected Haney to come through against the Australian.

“Hopefully he handles business against Liam Paro, I am pretty sure he will,” Garcia said. “We have all seen the sparring that they had, Devin was beating him up.”

He then turned to his own plans.

“So, he is going to fight Liam Paro, I am going to fight Teofimo Lopez or Floyd Mayweather – we are not the same,” he said. “I am a savage, I fight anybody, everybody.”

Garcia’s assessment was based on the sparring footage. Haney and Paro have not previously met in a professional bout.

Devin Haney vs Liam Paro: reported date, venue and titles

The Ring’s Mike Coppinger reported that Haney and Paro are set to meet at Chase Center on 19 December, with Devin Haney Promotions and Top Rank co-promoting.

The proposed contest would be Haney’s first under his new exclusive multi-fight agreement with DAZN. The date and venue remain reported plans, with a formal fight announcement still awaited.

Detail	Reported plans
Fight	Devin Haney vs Liam Paro
Date	Saturday 19 December 2026
Venue	Chase Center, San Francisco
Titles	WBO and IBF welterweight
Broadcaster	DAZN under Haney’s new agreement

Haney is unbeaten at 33-0 with 15 knockouts and one no-contest. He won the WBO welterweight title by outpointing Brian Norman Jr in Riyadh in November 2025.

He has already headlined at Chase Center, beating Regis Prograis there in December 2023 to become WBC super-lightweight champion. Paro featured on that undercard, stopping Montana Love in the sixth round.

Paro, 28-1 with 16 knockouts, became IBF welterweight champion by beating Lewis Crocker in Brisbane in June. All three judges scored that fight 115-113.

Our Haney vs Paro fight guide covers the reported arrangements and the fighters’ routes to the proposed unification.

Lopez talks and Mayweather comments leave Garcia with options

Garcia and WBA super champion Lopez have been working towards a unification targeted for 6 February 2027, according to The Ring.

Lopez’s obligations to Jack Catterall remain an issue. The WBA ordered Lopez to face Catterall in September, with Lopez inheriting the mandatory obligation after beating Rolando Romero.

Uncrowned reported that a decision on whether the WBA title could be contested against Garcia was due on 7 November.

Mayweather has also spoken about facing Garcia. Boxing News reported on Sunday 1 November that he had announced a December exhibition against Matt Floyd in Bangkok and described it as preparation for a meeting with Garcia.

That adds another possibility to Garcia’s plans, although it does not establish a date or terms for a fight between them.

Could Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney fight again?

Garcia and Haney met at super-lightweight in April 2024. Garcia was awarded a majority-decision victory, but the result was subsequently changed to a no-contest after he tested positive for ostarine.

Uncrowned reports that DAZN hopes to stage an undisputed welterweight rematch in 2027 if both men win unification fights.

That would require Haney to beat Paro and Garcia to secure the WBA title alongside his WBC belt. Mandatory challengers and sanctioning decisions would also have to be addressed before all four championships could be brought together.