Oscar De La Hoya may have hammered the last nail in the coffin. The much-sought-after Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney rematch has seemingly moved further off, deep into the realm of uncertainty. The situation had been quite confusing. It would have been comprehensible had both Garcia and Haney suffered losses. But it became a case where one secured a victory while the other suffered a surprise defeat.

Despite the complexity, a normal stream of thought suggests the two young fighters should get back to settle the debate that has been simmering for nearly a year. However, Haney’s purportedly lackluster win over Jose Ramirez and Ryan Garcia‘s loss to Rolando Romero seem to have taken the sheen off their rematch. Some have even started questioning its relevance. Now, as the discussions continue, during an interview, Oscar De La Hoya weighed in on the fate of Haney-Garcia 2. His response may please everyone.

Oscar De La Hoya: Say farewell to Ryan Garcia vs. Devin Haney 2

“No, that’s not the direction we want to go,” Oscar De La Hoya responded when a reporter asked him, “The rematch with Ryan and Devin, can you give us any update? Is that the direction you guys want to go now?” Regarding its chances, adding further, he made it explicit, “Zero, whatsoever.” He shared about having a candid discussion with Ryan Garcia. “I sat down with him already, and he’s in great spirits. Um, you know, we’re actually looking forward to the future, and, uh, yeah, we’re just going to nail down exactly what the plans are going to be, um, and, uh, just, you know, put it in play,” the former world champion revealed.

De La Hoya and partner Holly Sonders were at the Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation’s annual ‘Big Fighters, Big Cause’ Charity Boxing Night.’ During the photo ops, another reporter probed for the reasons to call off the rematch. So the Olympic gold medalist replied, “It just doesn’t, it just doesn’t merit a rematch. I just don’t think it really… Devin, but actually lost, you know, winning; his stock is super down. I mean, everybody’s talking. I’m just stating facts here. People are talking about, you know, him just being a runner, like, not a boxer .”

It feels like a sentiment that’s begun to echo across many corners.

Striking a chord everywhere

Following the dismal performances at the Times Square ‘Fatal Fury,‘ during a conversation with Dan Rafael on ‘Fight Freaks Unite,‘ His Excellency Turki Alalshikh reportedly dropped a hint: “We need to see the condition of Garcia. Maybe we will delete (the rematch) and do a small fight for him. It will be clear in two weeks.”

What’s more, it seems even one of the main cast, Devin Haney, and his team appear to be gradually moving away from the second fight with Garcia. Speaking on ‘Thaboxingvoice,‘ Bill Haney shared a ‘hit list’ that tentatively began with Teofimo Lopez. Haney Senior clarified that the order doesn’t count. But he made it amply clear who stood at the bottom.

“I won’t say number one, but I will say that that’s who I know Devin is looking for right now. I know that he’s, you know what I mean? Of course, the, I’ll go all the way down to number 10 on the list, Ryan Garcia, and he’s fallen all the way to 10 because of his performance both inside and outside the ring,” said Devin Haney’s father.

So that kind of sums up where the hitherto much-coveted Ryan Garcia-Devin Haney rematch stands. But it would be futile to take everything in finality; remember, it’s boxing. Anything can change anytime. Perhaps, once when both Haney and Garcia are back in form, they can regroup for one last dance.

What about you? Are you still interested in the Haney-Garcia rematch?