Ryan Garcia posted a clip of himself working out on a heavy bag on Instagram today. He looks blindingly fast in the gym. He says he’s “keeping sharp” for whoever wants to fight him next.
Callouts and Rematch Requests Fall Flat
Ryan recently called out Errol Spence this week, but he’s shown no interest in fighting him. Earlier today, Garcia offered Devin Haney a rematch, but he doesn’t want to fight him again after what happened last April. He just wants his loss erased.
Garcia (25-1, 20 KOs) still looks as powerful and dangerous as he did in his annihilation of WBC light welterweight champion Haney.
“Light touches, keeping them sharp [for] whenever [and] whoever wants it,” said Ryan Garcia on Instagram.
We don’t know when the highly popular Garcia will fight again. Right now, he’s waiting for his B-sample to be tested on May 22nd. Depending on the testing results, Ryan will either be allowed to continue fighting or potentially suspended.
Promoter Seeks Lifetime Ban
Haney’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, wants a lifetime ban for Ryan Garcia if they can prove he willingly used PEDs.
Just how they would prove that it wasn’t a contamination issue is impossible to know. Some boxing fans feel that Hearn wants Ryan to be made an example of to help resurrect his fighter Haney’s career because if Garcia is given a lifetime ban, fans won’t see Devin in the same light as they do now.
If that’s what Hearn’s reasonings for wanting Ryan to be given a lifetime ban, it’s probably not going to make fans view Haney in the same way they did before his loss to Garcia.
This isn’t the first time that Haney has been badly hurt in a fight, and needed to clinch nonstop to keep from getting knocked out.
Hearn’s Options for Haney’s Future
We saw the same thing happen in Haney’s fight against Jorge Linares in 2021. He got hurt repeatedly in the championship rounds and clinched excessively without being penalized by the referee in the final three rounds.
Hearn must face the fact that his fighter, Haney, got exposed, and he must make the best of things. One way of saving Haney’s career is to match him carefully against only weak punchers.
Arum Weighs In, Calls for a No Contest
“Well, he clearly lost the fight, and Ryan Garcia hit him quite a few times with that solid left hook, but then it all got tainted with the drug testing,” said promoter Bob Arum to Fight Hub TV, discussing Ryan Garcia’s win over Devin Haney on April 20th.
“It should be a no-contest. If Ryan Garcia, in fact, tested positive, he had an unfair advantage, and under the rules, it should be a no-contest. Even if it had been a first—or second-round knockout, that would be the case,” said Arum.
Erasing the loss on Haney’s record won’t suddenly transform him into a fighter without a defeat. It’ll be in the record books, but fans still view Haney as the loser of that fight.
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