The exchanges between Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia have been getting ever more heated in the build-up to their fight and now Haney has revealed just why this contest with Garcia is so personal to him.
The two men went back and forth earlier this year and unlike many verbal exchanges, this one got to the negotiating table and officially became set for April 20. It will take place, much to the annoyance of Garcia, at the Barclays Centre in New York rather than in Las Vegas.
The much-anticipated fight will see former undisputed lightweight champion Haney put his WBC super-lightweight title on the line against Garcia, who is yet to win a world title and last time out against Gervonta Davis was stopped by a body shot.
The pair have had a hearted physical altercation since the fight was announced and this week they are out on a press tour to build up the contest.
Now, Haney has said to the MMA Hour that the reason things have got so personal is because of comments Garcia made about his religion.
“He said some stuff about my religion he cannot come back from. He knows what he said and who he said it to. It got back to me so I got to make an example about him. This is bigger than me, this is for all the Muslims around the world.”
Garcia then responded to this, also on the MMA Hour.
“First of all I would never do that, I can show you the DMs. I said Merry Christmas. Did I know Muslims don’t celebrate Christmas? No. He’s an idiot.”
It seems there is no end to the beef between these two, though Garcia has also this week called out an MMA fighter.