Boxing has always been unpredictable—fighters often forget that until reality hits hard. Just ask Ryan Garcia. Earlier this month, the confident Victorville native stepped into the spotlight of Times Square, expecting to steamroll Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero. But instead of a statement win, Garcia was dealt a brutal dose of reality. Not only did Romero drop him with his own signature left hook. But he also cruised to a unanimous decision victory, leaving Garcia stunned and fans even more so. Now, the highly anticipated rematch between Garcia and Devin Haney, initially eyed for October, is hanging by a thread, if not already in the gutters. 

‘King Ry’ defeated Haney in April last year, but after testing positive for Ostarine, the result was expunged and turned into a no-contest. Garcia was fined his purse for the fight and banned from the sport for a year. Regardless, now with the fate of the fight in jeopardy, fans and experts have been left with an unanswered question: Who would win in a rematch?

Boxing legend and former welterweight champion Shawn Porter has stepped forward to reveal what would have happened in a rematch. Talking about the subject in his Porterway podcast recently, the co-host of the show pointed out that legendary Roy Jones Jr. was never the same after his second defeat to Antonio Tarver, asking Porter whether the same fate awaits Haney.

“I’m still on record. I’m going with what I said. I think Devin beats Ryan in the rematch,” Porter stated, delivering the bad news for Garcia. Notably, Haney’s fight against Jose Ramirez was widely criticized for being an exceptionally boring affair where Haney avoided any engagement during the fight, which may have led the co-host of the podcast to compare Haney with Jones’ decline. 

However, there’s an argument to be had about Garcia’s own fate after the Romero fight, which could also mirror Jones’ decline after losing to Tarver. Although it’s speculation, and both fighters could always make strong comebacks to flip the script. In the meantime, Bill Haney has shared an update on the Garcia-Haney rematch. 

Bill Haney claims the Ryan Garcia vs. Devin Haney II fight is still happening 

Despite Ryan Garcia’s recent loss to Rolly Romero, Bill Haney has confirmed that the highly anticipated rematch between Devin Haney and Garcia is still on track. Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show on May 13, Bill Haney said, “Right now, we’re expecting the same [rematch date] that we agreed to. The October date, and whipping him out.” 

The rematch, slated for mid-October in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, remains a go, according to Haney, even after Garcia’s surprising setback on May 2. When asked if Garcia’s loss affected the rematch plans, Haney stated, “It didn’t affect us. It didn’t affect the way that we look at him… I think they’ve already done promotion for the fight leading up to it… We’ve spent time negotiating that fight, and for all intents and purposes, we believe that that’s the next fight.”

That said, it appears even though Ryan Garcia lost his fight against Rolando Romero, team Devin Haney expects him to show up for their October date later this year. However, only time will tell what’s next for the two fighters. Do you think the rematch would happen?