For all the noise that one heard from Ryan Garcia‘s end, Devin Haney had been relatively reticent, quietly going about his training. His patience and dedication have seemingly impressed quite a few. Jose Benavidez Sr. had a chance to witness the light welterweight champion spar with one of his charges. Needless to say, Haney’s overall appearance and preparation appear to have left David Benavidez‘s father dumbstruck.

Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia will meet on April 20 at the famed Barclays Center in New York for the former’s WBC title. Speaking with a reporter, Benavidez Sr. revealed how he came across the new avatar of Haney. The Mexico-born trainer, who received training from Freddie Roach and Abel Sanchez, shared how he came to know that one of his pupils, whom he had trained since a very young age, had a sparring session with Devin Haney. But what actually unfolded when Benavidez Sr. reached the Haney training camp?

‘The Dream’ might come true for Devin Haney

However, the scene was a bit different when he reached the venue. “So I went up there, and I knocked on the door. You know it was private; I’m like, hopefully they let me in. You know, sometimes camps are like that. I had like about five six people with me, and they opened the door, and and I told him, hey I’m here to see, uh, Devin Haney. You know, can you tell Bill if I come in? You know, he’s like, oh I don’t know, but if somebody comes in, it’s just going to be you, not your people,” said Benavidez Sr.

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But soon the person came back, informing him that the whole Benavidez team could join. Jose Benavidez Sr. described how the whole sparring session, with his trainee also participating, went fantastic. He added, “The sparring was great. Devin Haney is looking like a beast man. He’s really good man so looking strong man so uh, I was super uh excited to be there, and I I like what I see.”

Earlier in the interview, Benavidez Sr. had shared how he and Bill Haney have known each other for years. With their chests swelling with great pride, both saw their sons reach the summit of boxing, climbing through numerous setbacks and challenges. That being said, how has the journey towards the Haney-Garcia bout shaped up?

A fight that has been in the reckoning for some time

Last year proved hugely successful for Haney. After defending the undisputed lightweight title from Vasyl Lomachenko, he quickly moved a division and challenged Regis Prograis. On December 9, he registered a statement win over ‘Rougarou’ to become a champion in a second division. A week before staging a comeback, Garcia had knocked out Oscar Duarte in Houston’s Toyota Center. Early in the year, he suffered a savage defeat at the hands of Gervonta Davis (now Abdul Wahid).

By the end of December, both the young boxers had expressed an interest in fighting each other. They had already, per available reports, slugged it out as amateurs. Out of the six fights they participated in, three went Garcia’s way, and the remaining saw Haney as the winner. Hence, they wanted to take their rivalry to the professional arena as well. However, right from the beginning, the fight ran into trouble. Garcia switched gears, announcing a bout with Rolando Romero instead. However, the match never materialized.

Over a few other names, that included a call out to Isaac Cruz as well; thankfully, it was back to Devin Haney. The fight proved to be second time lucky. There were fears that Ryan Garcia’s odd online behavior might jeopardize things, but things appear under control, and fans won’t be missing one of the year’s biggest fights.

Devin Haney Makes Wild Allegations Against Ryan Garcia Weeks Before Their Fight

Do you think, as the visible underdog, Ryan Garcia would be able to run rings around Devin Haney on April 20? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

Comparing Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia’s Training Ahead of April 20th