Trust Ryan Garcia to close the year with a big bang. After an embarrassing loss to Rolando Romero and a hand injury that kept him largely out of the ring, if you thought Garcia would end the year on a quiet note, you couldn’t have been more wrong. Just two months separate Garcia from a title fight against Mario Barrios. Yet he has chosen to resurrect the ghost of the Devin Haney bout.

Ryan Garcia shared some inside details of 2024’s most controversial fight. While the aftermath is well documented, the prelude to the bout seems equally spice-laden. He won the match by majority decision. But failure to clear doping tests later resulted in the contest being ruled a no contest. As he gears up for the Barrios fight, a rematch with Devin Haney has also re-entered Garcia’s radar.

Ryan Garcia reignites the Devin Haney firestorm

Startling revelations emerged during the interview with N3on. Sitting across a table laden with spicy hot wings, Garcia and the live streamer got down to business with “Spicy Questions/Hot Ones.” Pulling no punches, N3on asked bluntly, “Have you ever done c*ke?” Garcia replied, “Never have I done c*ke in my life.”

He recalled how, as the Haney controversy erupted, he found himself fending off accusations. As the conversation continued, N3on offered a mischievous prompt: “Wait, do they know about the day before or the day of the Devin (fight)?” Garcia wasn’t certain.

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Still, speculating that many of his Instagram followers might already be aware, he nonetheless spilled the beans: “For the Haney camp, obviously I was drinking a little bit up to the fight, and then the day of, I had a full blue moon.”

LAS VEGAS, NV – APRIL 18 – Ryan Garcia at the Gervonta Davis vs Ryan Garcia Grand Arrival at the MGM GRAND in Las Vegas

The next admission raised further eyebrows. “And then I smoked a joint before the fight, and then I went to the locker room high as sh*t” he stated, recalling how Mike Tyson arrived at his dressing room to greet him. He later dropped Haney three times before securing a majority decision victory.

To set the record straight, Garcia had previously admitted to drinking before the April 20 fight.

What’s pushing Garcia to come clean

“I admit my wrongs, and I don’t want anybody to take my actions of drinking and smoking before the fight and try to think that’s a way to handle yourself as a professional,” he reportedly said a month before the bout. Earlier this year, as he prepared for his much-anticipated comeback against Rolly Romero, Garcia admitted to “drinking every day, every single day, even the day of the (Haney) fight” during an interview with Ring Champs hosts AK and Barak.

One might wonder why Garcia is choosing to reveal these details now.

A more measured interpretation suggests he wants to enter the new year with a clean slate. Despite the controversies, setbacks, and embarrassments, he has, somewhat surprisingly and controversially, been given another opportunity to fight for a title. A win over Mario Barrios could move him closer to a second bout with Devin Haney. Lest tongues wag again, it may be better to come clean now.

Secondly, much water has flowed under the bridge since Garcia and Haney fought. Nearly 20 months have passed. Even if Garcia reveals additional details, it may not raise too many eyebrows. With Haney now firmly established as the welterweight champion, Garcia’s task is clear: play his part, defeat Barrios, and make the rematch possible. That, more than anything else, could define his legacy.