Devin Haney gives unlikely praise to Ryan Garcia ahead of huge showdown

WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney is no stranger to big fights. 

After beating Regis Prograis to claim the WBC title at 140lbs in December, he will now make his first defence of the belt against one of boxing's brightest stars. 

The rivalry between Haney and Garcia dates back to the amateurs, and now the pair will meet for the first time in the professional ranks on April 20 live on DAZN PPV. 

The build-up to their meeting at Brooklyn's Barclays Center has been an intense one, and the two were not afraid to engage in heated verbal exchanges during the announcement press conferences for the fight. 

This bad blood may have led some to believe that negotiations for this particular contest were difficult, but Haney praised Garcia for how he conducted himself whilst making a deal for what is set to be a huge all-American affair. 

“Me and Ryan, we were talking on the phone days before the fight got made. We were trying to make the fight happen. We were going numbers, and how things are going to be,” Haney told reporters at a media workout. 

“I have to take my hat off to Ryan. When it came to negotiating, he gave me everything that I wanted. There never was no real resistance. He agreed on everything. I agreed on everything. And the fight was easy to make ... he agreed to VADA testing, there was no resistance to it.”

Live on DAZN: Hitchins vs. Lemos on April 6.  Click here for details.