Devin Haney says the rematch with Ryan Garcia is his priority for 2025. He believes he’ll be victorious “on an even playing field.” He mentioned that repeatedly in interviews on Saturday, sounding like a broken record.
Rematch Imperative
It’s obvious that Haney views the rematch with Garcia as a priority for him because he needs it for these reasons:
- It’s the biggest payday
- Reestablishes his credibility as a fighter: This would likely be a short-term thing because Haney is going to have problems anytime he fights someone with power.
- Keeps his career going: Again, another short-term thing. Devin is clearly a sinking ship and can only be kept above water with Turki’s help for a limited time, as we saw with Deontay Wilder. If Haney keeps losing, Al-Shiekh won’t keep throwing a life preserver to him to keep his career from sinking.
- Sooner or later, Turki will come to his senses and realize that Haney is just a manufactured hype job and was never that good. Once Turki sees the truth right in front of him, he’ll quit Haney.
Former two-division world champion Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) is still playing the PED card, using it as the excuse for his loss to Ryan (24-1, 20 KOs) last April in Brooklyn, New York.
He likely won’t stop talking about it, and he will likely pollute the build-up to a rematch between them, using it to rebuild his credibility with the fans who have abandoned him.
The promotion of the Haney-Garcia 2 rematch will be ugly if Devin constantly brings up Ryan’s positive test for Ostarine in every interview, using that as his misguided promotional tool. Hopefully, Haney doesn’t stoop to that level, thinking that fans will view it as the reason why he was blown out of the water by Ryan last April. They won’t.
The Tune-up
Haney says he met with Turki Al-Shiekh in London and put together a “plan” for 2025. Devin is expected to take a tune-up fight against a soft opponent in March before facing Garcia in a rematch.
However, there is a risk if Turki chooses someone a little too good for Haney because he could get knocked out or made to look bad if the fighter has any power. If Turki insists on putting Haney in with a live body, it could be a career-over for him because they’ll finish what Garcia started.
Devin’s fighting style involves a lot of jabbing, frequent clinching, and movement. His fights against George Kambosos Jr. and Regis Prograis display Haney’s fighting style to a T. The way Haney fought against those two is his style, and it’s not very entertaining to watch, but it’s effective against that level of opposition.
Rematch Priority
“We don’t know. Turki, His Excellency, has put a plan together for me, and you guys got to stay tuned,” said Devin Haney to the Stomping Ground when asked who he’ll be fighting next in 2025. “In 2025, these fights [Ryan Garcia and Teofimo Lopez] have to happen. I think they will happen, and like I said, I’m excited for 2025.
“Ryan Garcia,” said Haney when asked what his preference is for a fight in 2025. “That fight has question marks. It’s unfinished business. We’re on a clean playing field, on an even playing field; we know that I’m going to be victorious,” Haney said when asked how the rematch with Ryan would play out.
“There is no bad blood with Eddie [Hearn]. If an opportunity comes his way and we can work together, then it will happen. If not, I appreciate Eddie for everything he’s done for me. He put me in position. He gave me a chance at the beginning, and I can’t appreciate him enough for that,” said Haney.
The fights that Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn set up for Haney in the past were against these fighters:
– George Kambosos Jr: 2022
– Joseph Diaz Jr: 2021
– Jorge Linares: 2021
Read the full article here
