Inside the squared circle, where sweat and blood make legends, every blow carves a story. Maybe, for Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney, that story was never meant to be. The duo faced each other last year in a now-infamous match because of Garcia’s PED scandal.

Since then, the duo has been relentlessly hyped for a rematch showdown. However, it never happened. A year-long suspension to Garcia, a long-dragged legal battle, and Garcia’s recent defeat to Rolly Romero have thrown their rematch plans off course. Now, nearly a year later, fans still eagerly await a rematch to see if these two will finally settle the score definitively. Oscar De La Hoya, however, has some clarity to offer.

Devin Haney deserves nothing

Recently, the head of Golden Boy and Ryan Garcia’s promoter spoke with boxing analyst Dan Canobbio. During the conversation, the duo engaged in a “Fact or Cap” game, with De La Hoya tasked with determining the accuracy of various boxing predictions. After some pretty controversial answers, Canobbio asked the question that has been on everyone’s mind. “Ryan Garcia will fight Devin Haney again,” he said, with De La Hoya immediately replying with, “Cap,” shutting down the curtain on the rematch forever.

The answer even surprised the analyst, prompting him to stop the game. “It’s not gonna happen? Why not?” he followed up. The promoter doubled down on his opinion, reiterating, “Not on my watch,” he said, asserting that Devin Haney does not deserve a rematch. Why? Because the promoter believes that Ryan Garcia defeated him definitively, leaving no scope for a second fight.

Well, there you have it. As things stand, we might never see Ryan Garcia vs Devin Haney 2. Furthermore, with the Victorville native’s concerning wrist injury, he won’t be able to return till next year. So, rather than still being stuck in the Haney vortex, De La Hoya wants him to face another foe upon his return.

Ryan Garcia has a score to settle

For the 26-year-old, 2025 was quite simple, before everything unravled disastrously. Garcia was supposed to face Rolando Romero on the May 2nd Fatal Fury card, and if he wins, the path to Devin Haney was clear. However, surprisingly, the Victorville native lost disappointingly and even injured his wrist.

As Ryan Garcia recovers from surgery, Oscar De La Hoya has a clear roadmap for his return, and it does not involve Devin Haney. “That’s not the direction we want to go,” he told ‘FightHype TV’. “Zero. I’m gonna sit down with Ryan. He’s in great spirits. We’re looking forward to the future. We’re gonna nail down exactly what the plans are going to be and put it in play,” he further added.

De La Hoya believes that his fighter should focus on avenging his loss against Rolly before thinking about anyone else. “That’s exactly what I would do. That would be the right move for him. Go get revenge,” De La Hoya concluded. However, even before that, he wants his fighter to focus on getting better and nothing else, and has advised him to take at least a year off.

So, Ryan Garcia faces a crossroads: stick with Golden Boy and wave the Devin Haney rematch goodbye, or ditch De La Hoya to chase that blockbuster showdown. Which path should ‘King Ry’ take to cement his legacy?