We are two weeks away from one of the most anticipated fights of the year as WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) faces Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs), which streams live in DAZN PPV & PPV.com. DAZN recently announced shoulder programming in the form of a three-part series supporting the event titled ‘40 Days’. The first episode was released on YouTube and although it was short (15:09), it was filled with some nuggets as we prepare for the big fight on April 20.
Ryan Garcia Is A Showman
The show started with a preview of what is expected on April 20 between Haney & Garcia. Afterward, the first scene cuts to New York City, where an ivy bag is shown dripping. Garcia mentions that he had two hours of sleep and is being given an ivy with vitamins so he can be lively for the press conference later that day. He goes into being able to shop all day or be in the studio just as long as he can wake up and go for a run. Garcia then played some music for the camera crew. After the music plays, Garcia gets serious and says, “We train all of the time, four times a day. It’s a lot on your body. As long as I’m feeling good and sharp, we do whatever we want.”
The episode then goes into Garcia’s rise and how his personality back then matches with what you see now. He is then shown on the popular NYC radio show “The Breakfast Club,” where he is asked if he is ready for Haney, to which he answers, “Is he (Haney) ready for the smoke? He can’t do anything to me. I’m scared for him.”
It quickly changes to a scene where both Haney and Garcia are on ESPN, with Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe arguing about who will knock who out and with what punch. After the camera crew goes to Haney & Garcia sitting down with Chris Mannix, Garcia makes an interesting comment that could answer some questions about how he’s been acting on social media the past few weeks.
“Nobody listens to you when you stay quiet. You gotta be crazy. You have to be as loud as you can.”
Devin Haney Goes Into His “Money” Personality
The scene opens up with Haney at a jewelry store in NYC, where he appears to be shopping for new items. Haney said, “I got enough jewelry that I can become a jeweler.” He credits the sport of boxing for all the luxuries it has allowed him. From the jewelry store, Haney heads towards the New York City part of the two-city promotional tour.
They gave the sound bite highlights of the press conference and faceoff but quickly showed Garcia making it back to the tv monitor to see what the reaction was on DAZN from the commentators. As both fighters left the press conference, fans mobbed them, making the fight one of the most anticipated in 2024.
Going Back to Cali
Before touching down at the Los Angeles Press conference, the episode lightly touches on both fighter’s fathers and their impact on Haney & Garcia, respectively. The camera crew then went to the press conference, showing Haney & Garcia’s entrances and some of the event’s highlights. Both fighters give the closing comments on how serious this fight is to them, and the episode finishes with a teaser of what to expect in episode two.
My Three Cents
This shoulder programming DAZN has put out is good, but for a fight this big, they should have gone with at least 30 minutes per episode. The episode felt a little rushed for time and left plenty to be desired. The hope is that some of those concerns will be addressed in episodes two and three, but when it comes to this episode, DAZN did a decent job.
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