A rematch between Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia is certainly one of the bigger fights you could make today in boxing. However, Garcia isn’t too confident about the matchup coming together once again.
Garcia could have some interesting options ahead should he crown himself champion in his return to the ring. Garcia, one of the biggest stars in boxing, challenges champion Mario Barrios for his WBC welterweight belt this Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It’s a big opportunity for Garcia, but not one that he thinks could set up a rematch with Haney.
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“It seems like he ain’t hyped to come out,” Garcia told FightHype and other reporters. “He don’t want that. He’s been saying, ‘Oh, I don’t want to fight him.’ You don’t want to fight? Ok, I’m not going to force you to fight me. Keep your ass over there. What do I got to do? I didn’t take no damage from that fight. He had a broken jaw. He have to get his lick back. You see my face is clean. It’s all on him. I wouldn’t wanna get back in the ring with me. PTSD.”
Garcia originally beat Haney in 2024 in a big upset, however, the bout was later overturned into a no contest after Garcia failed a VADA drug test due to ostarine, a performance-enhancing drug. Garcia was fined and suspended for a year, but he still maintains he didn’t knowingly take any prohibited substances.
Garcia understands why Haney wouldn’t want to push for a second meet.
“Let him do his thing, I know he’s scared,” Garcia said. “He’s got that feat in him. I gave him that fear, and that sh*t is still hitting his heart. When he sees me, I know he’s like, ‘F*ck. There’s something else in him. I don’t want that.'”
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Should Garcia get past Barrios, it looks like he would like to stick at welterweight. Garcia sees himself in a couple of different matchups.
“My first option would be Shakur (Stevenson),” Garcia said. “My second option would be Conor Ben.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ryan Garcia: Devin Haney ‘scared’ to rematch, has ‘PTSD’
