Haney Rules Out A Garcia Rematch – ‘A Cheat, I Could’ve Lost My Life’

“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 could change his mind depending on the outcome of Garcia’s response. If the boxer clears himself, Haney may want to avenge that defeat since the loss will be on his record. But as things stand now, Haney has grounds to request that it becomes a no-contest. The first positive finding occurred a day before the fight, April 19, giving team Haney legitimate grounds to overturn the result. If Garcia clears himself, then a rematch becomes even bigger. The build-up would still have questions over Garcia’s conduct since the substance was found in his system. Boxers are responsible for what they put in their body, meaning strict liability applies.

Implications

Conor Benn’s two failed VADA tests for Clomiphene showed the importance of testing. The boxer agreed a deal to fight Chris Eubank Jr. at a catchweight of 157 pounds. That was a career-low weight for Eubank. Benn claimed that he was innocent, first citing contamination. However, the failure to prove that resulted in a change of defense.

There has been no definitive answer from team Benn over whether Clomiphene was in his system or how it got there. Reports indicated Benn’s team based their defense on jurisdiction over whether UKAD could enforce VADA findings. Benn’s case is still ongoing, a situation which Garcia will want to avoid. That is why it is vital Garcia cooperates to get to the bottom of this and prove his innocence via evidence. There is a danger PED usage could tarnish the reputation of the sport and ward off fans.