JoJo Diaz thinks Ryan Garcia is an easier fight than Devin Haney, according to Haney’s promoter Eddie Hearn.
Matchroom have Haney as a client and they have seen previous WBC interim champion Garcia apparently duck the full champion in pursuit of a fight with Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis and then Manny Pacquiao.
Neither of those plans came to fruition and instead the 22-year-old withdrew from the sport in order to take time for his mental health, and is yet to schedule his return to the ring.
It has been suggested that Diaz could be the man to do so, with the former IBF super featherweight in the ascendancy at lightweight after an impressive win over Javier Fortuna.
Speaking on the DAZN Boxing Show, Hearn said: “I think Devin [has] got every right to be annoyed... frustrated.
“I've said to you guys before it's the most bizarre situation where you've got two guys now, one in Ryan Garcia who won a final eliminator to fight Devin Haney and ducked him, and then one in JoJo Diaz who won the final eliminator to fight Devin Haney. And he's now talking about Ryan Garcia.”
He then speculated that Diaz has calculated that taking on Garcia might be an easier stepping stone, rather than going straight for a shot at a title.
“I believe that he's up for that fight. But I also think he thinks the Ryan Garcia fight is an easier fight,” he claimed.
“And I think he wants to explore that option as well. Devin, he messaged me last night. Ultimately, it's going to come down to which way JoJo Diaz wants to go. We're not going to wait for JoJo Diaz, you know, with all due respect to him he's a good fighter, but we've got plenty of other options for Devin Haney.
“But that's just the mandatory that we were supposed to be fighting. So we'll speak to the WBC and we'll see how that lies. But ultimately, if JoJo Diaz chooses to fight Ryan Garcia over Devin Haney, not a lot we can do about it. We've just got to make sure that we get the right opponent for Devin Haney.”