Ryan Garcia Dismisses Devin Haney Rematch Obsession, Eyes Tournament Victory And Future Mega-Fights: ‘I’ve Moved On’

Ryan Garcia says he’s not bothered about fighting Devin Haney again, and he feels he has nothing to prove after he beat him last April. He’s not consumed with fighting Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) again out of bitterness over what happened after his victory.

(Credit: Michael Owens/Matchroom Boxing)

The Tournament Test

Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) says the rematch with Haney will happen in October if they win their fights on May 2nd in the tournament setup. They’ll meet for a rematch if they both win their fights on May 2nd at the Fatal Fury event at Times Square in New York City.

Garcia must defeat former WBA light welterweight champion Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero. Haney has got to defeat Jose Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs) in the co-feature spot. That’s a boxer vs. puncher type of fight.

“Me and Devin after that. Rolly, Devin, and on to the next one,” said Ryan Garcia to the Akin Reyes and Barak Bess YouTube channel about the fights he has planned for 2025. “Teofimo Lopez and Boots Ennis,” said Kingry on the fights he wants in 2026.

Ryan says he’s not all that bothered about Haney because he’s “moved on” after whipping him last April. The only reason he’s potentially going to fight Devin again is because the Riyadh season organizers want it. Ideally, Haney should have to fight one of the top 140-pounders to get the rematch with Kingry, like WBC champion Gary Antuanne Russell or IBF champ Richardson Hitchins.

Now, that would be some pressure. If you want the Ryan Garcia rematch, you must run through this mini-gauntlet, like the one Bruce Lee went through in his final film, ‘The Game of Death.’ He goes through each tower level, facing a different fighter to work his way to the top. That’s how Haney should earn his rematch with Ryan. Ramirez should be the first level.

“No, he’s waiting for all the winners. It’s a tournament style,” said Ryan when asked if he’s told the Riyadh Season organizers who he wants to fight next year. “They know the plan. I’ve already kind of moved on. A lot of people are kind of dragging that on a little bit,” said Garcia when asked if the Haney issue ‘consumes him’ over what happened last year.

Haney’s Challenge

The mini-tournament could foil Haney’s chances for a rematch with Ryan because he’s going up against a talented ex-champion, Jose Ramirez. His chin may not have recovered from the beating he took last April.

If Devin gets blasted out by former WBC and WBO light welterweight champion Ramirez on May 2nd, it’s hard to say what options there would be for him. I guess there’s always George Kambosos Jr. for Dev. I couldn’t help but notice that Haney and Kambosos were posting back and forth on X before George’s fight last Saturday against Jake Wyllie in Sydney. That looked like tactical stuff, with Haney getting in good with Kambosos to have a backup plan in case he loses to Ramirez.

“I was in the ring with him, and I beat him. That’s it. Yeah, I wasn’t going to give him [Devin] the fight unless he dropped it [the lawsuit]. I got what I wanted. Not for me. Maybe for people in general, but for me, I don’t feel no way towards it,” said Garcia when asked if he feels there’s a stain on his record because of his positive test for the banned substance Ostarine.

“I’ll beat him again. That’s why I did it so easy. I’m not going to lose. This is something that [Riyadh Season] wanted. I don’t feel no way towards it. I feel like I beat him the first time. That’s that,” said Ryan.