Ryan Garcia Reflects On His Knockout Triumph Over Devin Haney

Garcia relives the moment as Haney works on his move on

Ryan Garcia celebrates following his impressive April knockout triumph against Devin Haney /

By Mohamed Bahaa

Ryan Garcia is still savoring the effect of his knockout victory over Devin Haney, a moment that has stayed with supporters since their New York collision last April. Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) posted a video on social media of a fan's delighted response when he knocked Haney down, so reinforcing the triumph in the minds of his supporters.

It's not surprising that Garcia wants to preserve the memories. The boxing community will always remember his crushing left hook in the seventh round, which drove Haney to the canvas, for perfect execution.

Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) has been active on social media, perhaps trying to change the story of that terrible night. But his efforts seem to be failing since many people believe he still suffers with the mental impact from the loss. Fans, who remain doubtful of Garcia's explanations, seem not to be open to Haney's attempt to turn the attention into his positive Ostarine test.

Haney will have to get a rematch with Garcia and show his supremacy in the ring by keeping straight and convincingly winning if he is to restore his reputation. Simply going back over the debate over Garcia's test won't help him rebuild his reputation.

Haney runs a lot of risk by challenging Liam Paro for the IBF title in the 140lb division on December 7th in Australia. A loss against Paro (25-0, 15 KOs) would seriously damage his chances for a big rematch with Garcia. Should Paro award Haney a loss, the financial value of a Garcia-Haney rematch would probably drop greatly, rendering the fight far less appealing to both fans and promoters.

Garcia and Haney still have a rematch chance, but Haney has to be careful. One mistake would be accepting a battle with Paro before resolving the score with Garcia. Haney would be wise to hold off on any title bids until following a rematch with Garcia, when a win might restore his reputation and set the stage for even more major prospects. Should Haney beat Garcia in 2025, a later battle with Paro might attract significant interest, especially in Australia where the fight could produce noteworthy pay-per-view numbers.