Ryan Garcia has made a sporadic appearance in the media since being effectively suspended from fighting in the state of New York due to doping violations, and the former WBC interim lightweight champion has set his sights on amateur rival Devin Haney once more. Garcia’s response comes roughly a week after Bill Haney, Devin Haney’s father and trainer, sent a 48-hour notice to Garcia to enroll with the VADA program. In a video released on social media yesterday, Garcia would respond to Bill Haney and subsequently ignore his own past transgressions by depicting himself shadow boxing and demonstrating the same left hand that won him his now-defunct match against Devin Haney on April 20th.
In a 12-second clip, Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KO’s) is depicted demonstrating his left hook which initially culminated in him claiming his first world title, the WBC super lightweight (140 lbs), of his career before a failed drug test eventually resulted in his majority decision (MD) victory over Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KO’s) being overturned.
While the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) has suspended garcia until April 20, 2025, father-son pair Bill and Devin Haney have inexplicably attempted to already arrange a bout despite a lawsuit having been filed against Garcia by the latter last month.
The lawsuit aims to have Devin Haney recoup damages for battery, fraud and breach of contract, at the hands of Ryan Garcia―all stemming from their April 20th match which saw Garcia knock down Haney multiple times on course to a MD victory before the discovery of Ostarine in his system had their match be declared a no-contest.
While no update has yet been given surrounding the current state of the lawsuit, it is not expected to yield any fruit given Haney was reportedly involved in an assault against a citizen in August―though it should be noted Haney was not charged with any crime or arrested following the incident.
Earlier this month, Bill Haney seemed to heavily entertain a rematch between Garcia and Haney but under the condition of Garcia signing on to the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA) program within 48 hours to be subjected to random drug testing.
It is unknown whether an actual agreement had been in place prior to this request, however, given Garcia’s suspension under NYSAC. The request would subsequently be denied by Garcia after Bill Haney revealed roughly two weeks later that Garcia had not assented to the request.
While [drug-] suspended fighters are not disbarred from engaging in contract talks, it should be noted that Team Haney’s attempts to arrange a fight might be a publicity stunt given Garcia’s suspended until April of next year―therefore a cloud of suspicion surrounds Team Haney’s attempt to seek a fight with Garcia at this point in time. Notably, the intent by the Haney’s to seek a fight with Ryan Garcia is not a new development, with Devin Haney having already expressed his desire to face Garcia in a rematch after his suspension.
Despite Team Haney’s attempts to face Ryan Garcia, Garcia’s suspension from boxing due to a positive test for Ostarine—a prohibited substance that may have influenced the outcome of his April 20 match against Devin Haney—remains an important ethical breach that undermines the integrity of professional boxing without being appropriately addressed.
Garcia’s failure to abide by anti-doping regulations continues to cast a shadow over his career , as performance-enhancing drugs can create an unfair playing field that compromises the safety and fairness of the sport. Ignoring this misconduct, as Garcia appears to have done―by posting shadowboxing videos and dismissing VADA’s proposed enrollment―further challenges the accountability expected of athletes in high-stakes competitions.
Moreover, his documented history of racially insensitive comments, which reportedly included derogatory remarks against African Americans, exacerbates the need for corrective actions by relevant stakeholders in boxing. By continously entertaining a fight with Garcia, Team Haney further appears to condone Garcia’s past actions by not demanding such things as pushing for Garcia to engage in transparent rehabilitation efforts, similar to how National Basketball Association (NBA) player Meyers Leonard attended a series of educational and restorative efforts surrounding Jewish religion and culture after he uttered a anti-Semitic slur on camera.
While there have been calls by the Haney’s for Garcia to comply with anti-doping requirements, which includes random drug testing by VADA, attempting to rematch him further drives home the point that there is no actual accountability in the sport of boxing, and future attempts where doping violations occur will not be mitigated if fighters that committed doping offenses are desperately sought after rather than thoroughly punished by the relevant institutions in boxing.
