Haney’s PED approach: Will it taint Garcia’s rematch?

Devin Haney says rematch with Ryan Garcia is his priority for 2025. He believes he will win “on an even playing field.” He mentioned it repeatedly in interviews on Saturday, sounding like a broken record.

Resumption imperative

It’s obvious that Haney sees the rematch with Garcia as a priority for him because he needs it for these reasons:

1. It’s the biggest payday
2. Re-establish his credibility as a fighter: This would probably be a short-term thing because Haney will be in trouble every time he fights someone with power.
3. Keeps his career going: Again, another short-term thing. Devin is clearly a sinking ship and can only be kept afloat with Turki’s help for a limited time, as we saw with Deontay Wilder. If Haney keeps losing, Al-Shiekh won’t keep throwing him a lifeline to keep his career from collapsing.

Former two-division world champion Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) still plays the PED card, using it as an excuse for his loss to Ryan (24-1, 20 KOs) last April in Brooklyn , New York.

He probably won’t stop talking about it, and he probably will contaminate preparing a rematch between them, using it to rebuild his credibility with the fans who have abandoned him.

The promotion for the Haney-Garcia 2 rematch will be ugly if Devin constantly brings up Ryan’s positive test for Ostarine in every interview, using it as the wrong promotional tool. Hopefully, Haney won’t stoop to that level, thinking fans will see this as the reason Ryan was blown out of the water last April. They won’t.

The setup

Haney says he met with Turki Al-Shiekh in London and came up with a “plan” for 2025. Devin is expected to put up a fight to set up against a soft opponent in March before facing Garcia in a rematch.

However, there is a risk if Turki picks someone too good for Haney because he could get knocked out or make himself look bad if the fighter has any power. If Turki insists on putting Haney with a live body, it could be a career for him because they will finish what Garcia started.

Devin’s fighting style involves a lot of striking, frequent clinching and movement. His fights against George Kambosos Jr. and Regis Prograis show Haney’s fighting style to the truth. The way Haney fought these two is his style, and it’s not very entertaining to watch, but it’s effective against this level of opposition.

Rematch priority

“We don’t know. Turki, His Excellency, has come up with a plan for me, and you guys need to be on the lookout,” Devin Haney told the Treading Earth when asked who he will fight next in 2025. “In 2025, these fights (Ryan Garcia and Teofimo López) have to happen. I think they will happen, and like I said, I’m excited for 2025.

“Ryan Garcia,” Haney said when asked what his preference for a fight in 2025 is. close game – we know I’m going to win,” Haney said when asked how the rematch with Ryan would play out.

“There’s no bad blood with Eddie (Hearn). If an opportunity presents itself and we can work together, it will happen. If not, I thank Eddie for everything he’s done for me. He put me in position. He gave me a opportunity early on, and I can’t appreciate him enough for that,” Haney said.

The fights that Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn arranged for Haney in the past were against these fighters:

– George Cambosos Jr: 2022
– Joseph Díaz Jr: 2021
– Jorge Linares: 2021