A rematch between Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia, one of the most controversial and bizarre events of 2024, is reportedly in the works with Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh attempting to get the bout across the finish line. Veteran boxing journalist Dan Rafael reported that both fighters met separately with Alalshikh in London during the festivities for The Ring Magazine’s annual awards dinner.
Garcia defeated Haney in their first fight in April 2024, scoring multiple knockdowns before being awarded a majority decision victory. The win was not on the record books for long as it was revealed that Garcia had failed his pre-fight drug test for the presence of performance-enhancing drug Ostarine, leading to the result being overturned into a no contest.
The failed drug test wasn’t the only part of the event that saw strange behavior from Garcia. He spent the lead-up to the fight showcasing increasingly erratic behavior, ranting about conspiracy theories on X, being seen drinking at clubs, and finally, intentionally blowing off any effort to make weight despite a press conference bet with Haney that he was on point.
Garcia claimed a conspiracy was afoot after news of his failed drug test broke. Garcia’s “B sample” also tested positive and he was handed a one-year suspension.
Both fighters have, at times, expressed interest in a rematch in the interest of their own personal forms of redemption from the first meeting and boxing’s biggest power player in Alalshikh could be the man to get the rematch over the hump.
Of course, there are still hurdles remaining to get a deal done, not the least of which are Haney’s concerns over drug testing and his claims that Garcia will not agree to more stringent testing.
Garcia attempted to skirt the drug testing issue in his own post days before Haney’s, saying, “I am being drug tested just not by VADA so everything they said is lies, lies and more lies.”
More boxing news, rumors
- Julius Julianis recently reported that a fight between unified super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and WBA junior middleweight champ Terence Crawford has been agreed to for September. There has been chatter around that fight for more than a year, with Crawford looking to score a massive payday as his career winds down. Ultimately, the first round of talks fell apart after Alvarez seemed unwilling to work with Alalshikh. Now things appear to be moving in the right direction to get it done. Crawford, a former junior welterweight and welterweight undisputed champion, looked more human than usual in his first fight at junior middleweight and moving up another two divisions to face one of the best fighters of the modern era is a tall task but one Crawford insists he’s up for.
- Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn are once again set for a fight, according to Alalshikh, who tweeted the fight would happen in April. The two rivals were originally set to fight in 2022 only for Benn to test positive for banned substances ahead of the fight, scrapping the entire thing. Years of negotiations to get the fighters in the ring have followed, with neither side wanting to back down and Eubank insisting he should get the better slice of the pie due to Benn’s failed test.
- After two disappointing performances in losses to Devin Haney and Jack Catterall, Regis Prograis will look to get back on track when he faces Oscar Duarte on Feb. 15 in a bout recently announced by Golden Boy Promotions. Since losing to Ryan Garcia in 2023, Duarte has picked up back-to-back wins over Joseph Diaz and Batyr Akhmedov.
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