Yoel Judah, Devin Haney’s former trainer, has called on Haney to target an immediate rematch with Ryan Garcia.
Haney, a 25-year-old former three-belt lightweight titleholder, was battered and knocked down three times in what was initially ruled a majority decision for Garcia, 26, in their controversial junior welterweight title clash in New York in April.
But in June, Garcia saw his victory overturned and was suspended for a year after it was found that he had tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug ostarine on the eve of the bout and on fight night itself.
Last month, Haney, 31-0 (15 KOs), sued Garcia, 24-1 (20 KOs) – asking for damages for battery, fraud and breach of contract in connection with Garcia’s doping violations.
For his part, Yoel Judah – father and former trainer of his son and retired two-weight titleholder Zab Judah – believes Haney must settle the score with Garcia before moving on to face different opponents.
“I think that’s more or less Devin. I think it’s Bill, his father, going after Devin,” Yoel Judah said about Haney’s pursuit of a lawsuit in an interview with Fight Hype TV. “If you beat me unjustly and unfairly, I’m gonna tell you, ‘Let’s run it again.’ That’s what real fighters do, and let me show you who’s fully the champion.
“I know right now, real fighters do what real fighters do.”
Haney could opt to face the winner of Liam Paro, a junior welterweight titleholder from Australia, and New York’s Richardson Hitchins on December 7 in Puerto Rico. There is also the option of Haney slugging it out with junior welterweight titlist Teofimo Lopez Jnr.
In any case, Judah prefers the rematch with Garcia next.
“The fight between Paro and Hitchins is a good fight,” he said. “Right now, I don’t know what to say because Hitchins understands that he’s doing his thing. He’s sharp, he’s a razorblade, so I don’t know.
“But against Paro, it’s not gonna be a cakewalk. You have to really earn that fight – but we will see. I mean, it’s good if Devin is his next, because it’s gonna be a big fight. [Hitchins] gotta be consistent. You gotta be in great shape, and you gotta have power. You gotta be able to hit these guys and hurt them. If you can’t hurt this kid, it might be a problem.
“If I was Devin, I’d go with Ryan again. Let’s run that rematch right back. Real fighters do real things.”
Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at [email protected].
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