Haney Isn’t The Same After The Garcia Fight

Ryan Garcia has suggested that Devin Haney will never be the same following their no-contest last year. 

Garcia dropped Haney three times to beat him via a majority decision to upset the boxing world. However, the euphoria soon changed as Ryan tested positive for Ostarine, overturning the result. Bill Haney has been outspoken about Garcia, who continues to deny that he took any substances intentionally.

Bill compared Garcia’s actions to that of Rampage Jackson’s son, who was recently involved in a controversy for attacking a pro wrestler. Bill referred to Ryan as having “PED rage.” Garcia has not been the same since that positive test, as he lost his last fight against Rolando Romero. Although Haney won his against Jose Ramirez, Devin’s cautious approach resulted in Tim Bradley saying he has PTSD. 

“I did damage to dev that can never be reversed,” Garcia stated

“Listen to me. I’m going to tell you something. PTSD is a real thing in boxing…So, with that being said, do you feel that’s what Haney did? Do you feel that was superior boxing? Do you feel that he boxed this guy’s ears off? In my book, knowing boxing, that wasn’t boxing,” Bradley said 

The Reality

The most compelling evidence for Garcia’s claim comes from Haney’s subsequent fight against Jose Ramirez. According to CompuBox, the fight set an record for the fifth least number of punches landed in a 12-round fight. This was despite Haney working with Freddie Roach and Shane Mosley, who are known for preaching an offensive style of boxing. Moseley even predicted that Haney would stop Ramirez only to then state that Devin’s performance was not based on his game plan for the fight. 

However, several factors suggest that Garcia’s claim is an exaggeration. Haney showed that he could still outclass a former world champion in Ramirez with his boxing IQ and defensive skills. The performance can also be seen as a smart tactical move to avoid any further punishment and get a dominant win in his first fight back. It’s possible that Haney’s caution was a calculated decision to rebuild his confidence and ease back into competition after the experience of the Garcia fight.