COMMERCE, California – The way Ryan Garcia sees it, the same fighter who crushed Devin Haney in the ring nine months ago is ready to repeat his performance throughout a planned three-fight series that awaits the two rivals starting in May.
Garcia, 24-1 (20 KOs), appearing at a 360 Promotions card Friday night to watch his friend Roxy Verduzco fight at Commerce Casino, spoke for the first time since he posted on social media that he will stage a May comeback fight against former 140lbs titleholder Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz and then turn to an October rematch against former two-division titleholder Haney in Saudi Arabia.
“I’d tell him to keep his hands up,” Garcia said of Mexico’s free-swinging Cruz.
A similar message awaited Haney, 31-0, who is now moving toward dropping his lawsuit against Garcia after Garcia submitted three positive tests for the banned performance-enhancing drug ostrarine following his three-knockdown majority decision triumph over Haney.
“I’m excited to vindicate my victory that I deserved rightfully, and I’m ready to kick his ass again and shove it in [Haney father/trainer/manager] Bill’s face again,” Garcia said to BoxingScene. “It’s going to feel just as good as the first time.”
Garcia is suspended by the New York State Athletic Commission until April 20, and he must pass at least one test by NYSAC and enroll in Voluntary Anti-Doping Association testing soon for the fights to proceed – something he said he’s thrilled about.
Saudi Arabia power broker Turki Alalshikh is planning for the early May event to be staged outdoors at New York’s Times Square before taking Garcia to Saudi Arabia for two more fights.
“These fights are going to be great,” Garcia said. “They pay such good money, [the Haneys] are going to say yes.
“I was just kind of shocked at [all of it]. ‘How are we going to do this fight in Times Square?’ I guess that’s what’s going to be done. I don’t think tickets are going to be sold, but I think everybody who’s there can watch – that’s pretty cool.”
Garcia posted on X earlier Friday that he expects a tougher fight from Cruz than Haney.
“Tougher in that he’s more rugged, a more aggressive fighter. We’ll be fighting the full 12 rounds,” Garcia said. “Devin’s more trying to box, strategize. It’s not like I have to worry, ‘How’s my face going to be after the fight?’”
Garcia said he’s also looking forward to a Saul "Canelo" Alvarez-Terence Crawford fight that Alalshikh is planning for the four-division champions in September.
“Turki’s been making a lot of really great fights happen. You can’t really hate on it,” Garcia said. “Canelo’s so big, so strong. Weight classes matter for a reason.”
Alalshikh posted on X on Friday night that he would like to place a welterweight title fight between IBF titleholder Jaron “Boots” Ennis and two-division belt holder Teofimo Lopez Jnr on the October card of Garcia-Haney, with the winners fighting each other at a later date.
“Let’s do it. I want to fight Teofimo, too,” Garcia said after visiting with Lopez at Friday’s card.
Meanwhile, Garcia said he’s prepared to commit to drug testing. He’s just a little apprehensive about adopting the Haneys’ choice of VADA.
“When a coach is pushing a certain organization, it strikes me as weird as being a mandatory thing,” he said. “But I don’t want to talk about it because they might sue me.”
With that, Garcia laughed and walked away.
Litigation is over. It’s time to fight.
Lance Pugmire is BoxingScene’s senior U.S. writer and an assistant producer for ProBox TV. Pugmire has covered boxing since the early 2000s, first at the Los Angeles Times and then at The Athletic and USA Today. He won the Boxing Writers’ Association of America’s Nat Fleischer Award in 2022 for career excellence.