Garcia Says No To Haney Rematch Unless The Lawsuit Is Dropped

January 12, 2025
1 month
Garcia Says No To Haney Rematch Unless The Lawsuit Is Dropped

Ryan Garcia has ruled out a rematch with Devin Haney unless the latter drops his lawsuit against him. 

Haney sued Garcia for battery, breach of contract and unjust enrichment, following their April clash last year. Garcia defeated him by a majority decision, sending him to the canvas three times. But the result became a no-contest once Garcia failed the VADA tests Ostarine.

Garcia was banned for a year, meaning he cannot box professionally until April 2025. There has been speculation that there could be a rematch, but it would have to be based on some major compromises. Haney and his team will likely want strict VADA testing in the rematch, something which Garcia has expressed reluctance towards. 

Haney Vs. Garcia

Garcia was critical of the testing system, maintaining that he had not taken anything intentionally. His camp also argued that the amount of Ostarine in his system was not enough to enhance performance. 
Haney is also likely to want more of the purse, given everything that happened the first time.

He may also want stricter weight stipulations since Garcia came in three pounds over the 140-pound limit. While he paid Haney a fine of $1.5 million, it naturally impacted the results since Garcia could use his size and power to good effect. However, any chances of getting a rematch appear to have suffered, with Garcia saying that he is not willing to explore the possibility until his litigation is dropped. 

Garcia has also, in the meantime, filed a counter-lawsuit against Haney. In reality, the biggest fight out there for Haney is the Garcia rematch. His brand has suffered since the loss, given that only Top Rank made a purse bid for his WBC Junior Welterweight Title mandatory fight against Sandor Martin. Haney eventually vacated his WBC belt as he announced his return for March. That is subject to an opponent being lined up, although it will likely be Adrien Broner.

Garcia Reacts

Garcia, meanwhile, has seen his brand increase on social media despite the failed VADA tests. His Instagram following has increased by over a million since the controversy, while he also hit a million followers on X. That makes Garcia even more of an A-side, given that his commercial value has increased. However, the controversies around the first fight mean that Haney would want to be given more leverage. Garcia made his stance clear. 

“No. The only way he’s going to get any respect is to fight me again and try to do better. So I could see why he would (want rematch) but for me, I don’t know. I mean that interests me for sure, I would be down to do a rematch but a lot of things need to play out the way I need them to play out.

“First and foremost he needs to drop the lawsuit if he even wants to have a conversation about it. To me, I thought that was a weak move by him and now he wants to backtrack and say that’s how he’s going to get it back but before he was saying different. But I’m ready to fight him, I already fought him and beat him,” Garcia said 

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