“Going to be fighting for the WBC 147 lb championship. I’m following up on my rival, Devin Haney. Fought a good fight. It’s my turn to do my job cuz we all want to see that. We all want to run that back. Uh, I’m going to still show him who’s the big dog, who his real dad is.” Saying so, Ryan Garcia made his upcoming plan abundantly clear. A pit stop at Mario Barrios’ welterweight title and then a rematch with Devin Haney. However, even if he, or for that matter, Haney, wants to run it back, they must first put to rest the ghosts of their last fight. It looks like the controversial bout continues to haunt the duo to this day.

Ryan Garcia clearly wants to move forward. With Devin Haney now claiming a championship in a third weight class, a second fight appears feasible – provided Garcia defeats Barrios. But his attempts at smoothing the road ahead seem to be hitting hurdles. While Haney may have expressed interest in a rematch, his father appears focused on a unification fight with Rolly Romero. Still, the patience of the newly crowned champion was put to the test when Garcia recounted his version of the doping scandal. The result – a fresh round of exchanges that casts further doubt on Garcia vs. Haney 2.

Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney ignite another Twitter firestorm

Fans witnessed a verbal spat erupt between the two rivals after clips surfaced of Ryan Garcia explaining last year’s doping tests. In his latest conversation with N3On, Garcia said someone told him his samples were initially sent to the wrong lab. He claimed the first lab tested the sample and found no Ostarine. Then the sample was supposedly ‘repackaged’ and sent to the VADA-approved lab.

That second test came back positive for Ostarine. Garcia insisted that although the test flagged the banned substance, he never cheated. He eventually descended into trash talk, calling Devin Haney and others “bums,” with expletives peppered throughout. However, the new WBO champion wasn’t willing to let those comments slide.

Firing back, Haney wrote, “He failed the state commission test & the VADA test… Stop the cap. That’s why he looked like shit his next fight when he was clean after we made him do testing for 6 months straight.” The response only enraged Garcia, who revisited the way their fight ended. It was so disastrous for Haney that even today he finds it hard to forget that night, Garcia claimed.

Haney’s subsequent fight against Jose Ramirez ended up a damp squib as well.

A Garcia-Haney rematch looms, but first they need to make peace

Just weeks ago, Ryan Garcia uploaded an Instagram post of him and Haney meeting on friendly terms, raising hopes for a rematch. Now, this sharp new exchange over an issue that should have been put to rest may cast fresh doubts.

Bill Haney has already made their intentions clear. They are looking at WBA welterweight titleholder Rolando “Rolly” Romero. Earlier this year, the Las Vegas native knocked down Ryan Garcia in his comeback fight, earning a unanimous win in a major upset.

Ryan Garcia has signed the contract to fight Mario Barrios. Reports suggest the two potentially meeting on February 21 at a location yet to be decided.

Considering Barrios’ lackluster performance and an aging icon like Manny Pacquiao, some bettors seem willing to put their money on Garcia. And if he wins, the path to unification will eventually lead Haney to Garcia’s doorstep.

It might be wise for both men to let bygones be bygones and focus on their upcoming fights if they are truly intent on staging a rematch next year.

What’s your take on the latest Garcia-Haney verbal duel?