Garcia Offers Haney A Rematch; But Is He Serious?

Ryan Garcia has offered Devin Haney a rematch. 

Garcia beat Haney in a comprehensive performance, albeit by a majority decision on the scorecards. He dropped Haney three times to shock the world. He was not entitled to fight for the world title since he came in 3.2 pounds over the junior welterweight limit. That left Haney as the WBC champion. However, Garcia would then test positive for Ostarine.

It is a banned substance which showed up on Garcia’s urine samples, taken on April 19 and April 20. Garcia denied any intentional use. He has requested that his B sample be tested. If Garcia cannot prove his innocence, the result could become a no-contest. That has now set up the narrative for a rematch. Given the controversy and the way Ryan won, the rematch would be bigger. Garcia is now open to making it happen, albeit it could be tongue-in-cheek.

Garcia On Haney

“Devin…let’s run it again. If you feel you were cheated, we can run it again. I’ll only eat oysters for the training camp, and I won’t sleep,” Garcia revealed 

The rematch is unlikely to happen. Haney cannot risk another one-sided loss. There are suggestions that he will no longer be the same fighter. His defense was exposed, while Haney’s lack of power failed to prevent Garcia from walking him down. There is also a worry that Garcia respects Haney even less, letting his hands go even further. But if Garcia is declared innocent, Haney may have enough incentive to run things back. His undefeated record is a big part of his brand, leaving the door open for another fight. But based on Haney’s current comments, it is out of the question. 

“Honestly I’m not too interested in it. During the build-up we’ve seen a lot of interesting things from him. We’ve seen his character, we’ve seen the guy cheat, we’ve seen the person that he is. I don’t see myself ever getting back in the ring [with him], but I’m a fighter speaking right now about how I feel, we never know what the future holds.

“As of right now, it wouldn’t be a fight I would entertain. As I said, this guy showed his character, he showed that he would do anything to win, including cheat, that’s just reality. Boxing is just a sport at the end of the day. He put my life in jeopardy. So now it’s deeper than boxing with me. I wanna take this thing somewhere else now. He could’ve done some real dangerous things to me that night,” Haney said

Haney’s Next Move

Haney’s current focus will be on defending his WBC belt. The WBC has ordered him to defend his title against Sandor Martin. Purse bids for the fight will take place on July 18. The fight is unlikely to sell because it is not a big name. There are also doubts over Haney’s status as a champion as he still lost to Garcia. Haney may struggle to sell the fight, leaving a possible match with Garcia more probable. But Martin is ready to cause an upset. 

“This is the first step for an opportunity that I have been waiting for all my life. I know that I am not going to fail, I know that I am going to be a world champion and I only hope that everything continues on its course to see my dream come true,” Martin said