Ryan Garcia has spoken to His Excellency Turki Alalshikh about his interest in facing Devin Haney in a rematch.
Alalshikh’s Conditions for the Rematch
Turki says he’s interested in doing that fight between Ryan (24-1, 20 KOs) and Haney (31-0, 15 KOs), provided that Kingry “solves his problem” with drugs. Alalshikh states that he won’t attempt to put a right together while Ryan, 26, is still suspended by the New York State Athletic Commission.
Ryan’s suspension ends in April 2025 for his positive tests from last April for the banned substance Ostarine. He tested positive after beating Haney by a twelve-round majority decision on April 20th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Haney has yet to say whether he’ll take the rematch with Ryan, but his dad, Bill Haney, will likely be interested in making that fight if Turki’s deal is good enough. Bill isn’t about to turn down a massive offer from Turki, knowing that he’s not going to get similar money fighting anyone else at 140 or 147.
The Fight’s Appeal and Garcia’s Popularity
On paper, that’s the biggest fight on the horizon for Haney because of Ryan’s massive popularity on Instagram and his ability to attract interest from his interviews. Haney isn’t nearly as famous but can hitch a ride on Ryan’s coattails for the rematch.
“I like this guy, and I want to do a big fight with him. He asked me to do the rematch between him and Haney. We want to see this fight,” said Turki Alalshikh to the Stomping Ground about a conversation between him and Ryan Garcia about a rematch with Devin Haney.
“I’m against drugs and everything about it. I said to Ryan Garcia, ‘You must pass the test and clear yourself and I am waiting for you.’ This is fair. He has a suspension in America. He can do something in Saudi Arabia, but I will not do it in Saudi Arabia.
“I will respect his suspension. But if he solves his problem, we are ready to do something with him,” said Turki.
Ryan batted Haney around the ring all night with his left hook last April, hurting him multiple times in rounds 1, 7, 8, 11, and 12. He dropped Haney in rounds 7, 10, and 11.
Many fans felt that the referee, Harvey Dock, should have stopped the fight in round 7 when Ryan knocked Haney down, leaving him helpless and out on his feet.
Instead of stopping the fight, Dock called a timeout and took a point from Ryan for hitting on the break out of frustration with Haney’s excessive clinching to survive the round.
Dock failed to warn Ryan before taking the point away, and he hadn’t done anything to address Haney’s excessive holding. With a different referee working the fight, the contest would have ended in round seven, with Ryan scoring a knockout.
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