Time for Garcia and Haney to move on from each other — for now
NEW YORK – A rematch between Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney was one of the most highly anticipated fights of 2025, given the circumstances surrounding their 2024 affair. Garcia dropped Haney three times but saw his decision victory overturned to a no contest after he failed a drug test. Their heated rivalry was expected to crescendo into a massive rematch, and to heighten expectations, they were placed in separate bouts against the unique setting of Times Square. A plan hatched by Saudi Arabia’s chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh, ended up becoming an utter disaster as the young stars turned in a pair of poor performances that saw Garcia upset by Rolando “Rolly” Romero and Haney win in a snoozer against Jose Ramirez.
After what happened on Friday, the only person interested in a Garcia-Haney rematch was Romero.
“I ain’t even thinking about what’s next,” Romero said after his unanimous decision victory “I think Devin and Ryan should get their rematch and make a big one.”
A big one? Not after what happened in New York City. Haney-Ramirez was the frontrunner for the worst fight of the year, combining for 503 total punches thrown, the third worst in CompuBox history for a 12-round fight. But it was outdone an hour later by Garcia and Romero, combining for 490 punches thrown. The air was let out of the balloon and a staged staredown between Haney and Garcia was nixed following Romero’s upset win.
Now what?
Alalshikh could still go through with the rematch later this year, but given just how awful their respective fights were, it may be best for Garcia and Haney to go in opposite directions until they reclaim their lost mojo. An argument can be made that the rematch should have happened Friday, without either fighter taking a tune-up fight. But what’s done is done, and it is time to move on.
For Garcia, there will be questions surrounding his performance, which was night and day compared to his fight with Haney last year. Did the performance-enhancing drugs really help? A case can be made for it, considering how listless and disengaged he looked against Romero. He will have to redeem himself in his next fight and it also might be in his best interest that he moves back down to 140 pounds. Who he fights next is anyone’s guess. But he’ll need an opponent, such as hard-hitting Subriel Matias or Liam Paro, who is willing to engage and offer him the opportunity to land his trademark left hook. Garcia is in a tough spot and will need to work hard to rinse the horrible taste of this fight out of the mouths of fans.
Haney is still undefeated but saw his stock drop with his performance against Ramirez. However, he’s still a world-class boxer and could go back to 140 pounds. A fight with Teofimo Lopez — who easily outpointed Arnold Barboza Jr. earlier in the night — could be interesting. Or, he could be lined up for a fight opposite Romero. Even though he wasn’t exciting, Haney is still an extremely talented fighter and is deserving of a big fight.
Meanwhile, Lopez leaves New York as the biggest winner. His fight wasn’t thrilling by any means, but it was far from his fault, as he was superb in dissecting Barboza. He has plenty of options, none of which should be against IBF and WBA welterweight champ Jaron “Boots” Ennis, who he called out following his decision win. Instead, he should defend his WBO 140-pound title. If Haney doesn’t fight Romero, the honor should go to Lopez. Regardless of who he chooses, Lopez has now distanced himself from Garcia and Haney. All he needs now is a proper dance partner to work his way back up the pound-for-pound ladder.
One thing is for sure: Friday night created more problems than solutions. Haney and Garcia need to separate and reclaim some momentum before facing each other again.
Source: espn.com