Former WBC interim lightweight champion Ryan Garcia says he expects to cross paths with one rival in particular in the future.
The 27-year-old from California is gearing up to make his long-awaited return to the ring after he suffered a shock defeat to Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero back in May.
It has been suggested that Garcia is on the verge of finalising a deal to face reigning WBC world welterweight champion Mario Barrios in the first quarter of 2026.
Whilst he appears to be focused on dethroning Barrios and finally becoming a world champion, Garcia is also said to be interested in securing a match-up with a former rival of his when the time is right.
In an interview with Covers, Garcia says a rematch with newly-crowned WBO welterweight champion Devin Haney is ‘inevitable’ as he claims a second encounter with his countryman would be one of the ‘biggest rematches ever’.
“It has to be. This is one of the biggest rematches of all time. We shocked the world, and people were amazed by the theater of it all, and then the fight was entertaining as well, where he gets dropped, keeps getting up. It’s just a crazy, chaotic environment.
“People want to see that again. And I think that it is inevitable, however our careers end up, just like Joshua and Fury, it’s inevitable, it’s gonna happen, sooner or later. And, nobody cares if they won, lost, anything. It’s just bad blood, let’s get it, let’s run it. I don’t like you, you don’t like me, let’s have at it again, and let’s go.”
Garcia and Haney faced each other back in April 2024, a bout that had been stepped in controversy from start to finish. ‘King Ry’ floored Haney several times before being declared the winner via majority decision, but the result was overturned after it was revealed that Garcia had returned a positive drugs test.
The 27-year-old was subsequently banned from boxing for one year and issued a fine of over $1 million.
As for Haney, the California-native became a three-weight world champion last month when he put on an outstanding display to dethrone Brian Norman Jr of his WBO welterweight title at the ANB Arena in Riyadh.
