Ryan Garcia revealed yesterday that he and Devin Haney must win their respective fights on May 2nd for their rematch to happen in October.
(Credit: Melina Pizano/Matchroom)
That’s terrible news for Haney because he has a difficult fight against former WBC and WBO light welterweight champion Jose Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs). This could be it for Devin because he’s likely to lose to Ramirez, and it’s game over.
Fans on social media are saying that Bill Haney failed his son, Devin when he made this fight. He should have said yes to Dev fighting the dangerous, well-accomplished Ramirez because he’s a real one. He’s not a guy that was elevated to championship status or picked up his wins from George Kambosos.
Even before Ryan knocked the starch out of Devin last April, Ramirez would have been a nightmarish type of opponent for him because of his style, power, and amateur pedigree.
Kingry’s Golden Boy promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, had previously leaked that Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) would need to be victorious in his fight against Ramirez on the Times Square card in New York City for the rematch with Ryan to go down.
Plan B
Garcia doesn’t say what plan B will be for him and Devin if one or both fighters lose in the May 2nd event. It won’t be a big deal for Ryan if Haney gets beaten because he’s got the rematch with Gervonta Davis he could take and make huge money in that fight if Tank is willing to come up to 147. Ryan said he won’t fight Tank at 140 because he’s too big for that division.
Akin Reyes on AK & Barak: “So, who’s next? Is it Devin?”
Ryan Garcia: “It’s Devin.”
Akin: “But he has to win [against Jose Ramirez on May 2nd].”
Ryan: “He has to win. We can’t look past our opponents. Yeah, we already faced off, and we’re already ready to go.”
If Haney loses to Ramirez, the best he can hope for is a rematch with him to try and salvage the situation by avenging the defeat. Perhaps if Devin wins the second fight, Turki Alalshikh might still be willing to make the fight with Garcia in early 2026.
Ramirez’s Threat
Ryan and De La Hoya should not bank on Haney’s victory in his fight against Ramirez on May 2nd. They should look at that fight with their eyes open, knowing that Haney’s chin is fragile and likely to crumble under Ramirez’s power. Jose and his trainer, Robert Garcia, have already said they’re going to target Haney’s glass jaw, looking to knock him out.
This translates to Ramirez swinging for the fences with every shot he throws, focusing on scoring a knockout. Although Haney will have had a year to recover from the beating he took from Garcia last April, it might not be enough for his head to be 100% ready for the power shots that Ramirez will be hitting him with.
Last Updated on 03/20/2025
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