Ryan Garcia Shuts Down Haney Rematch, Declares "Left Hook Nightmare" Final

Ryan Garcia officially rules out a rematch with Devin Haney, claiming his brutal left hook will leave Haney haunted by their April fight

Ryan Garcia asserts his stance: no rematch with Devin Haney, leaving behind the haunting memories of their last encounter /

By Miriam Onyango

After seeing his interview from today, Ryan Garcia has officially ruled out a rematch with Devin Haney. Haney stipulated that the parameters of the rematch have to be met. Haney, according to Garcia, will have to "live that left hook nightmare" from Devin's defeat in their April bout.

Devin risks enduring a lifelong nightmare and experiencing the same night every day, maybe into old age, if he loses the rematch. It would be excruciatingly painful. He would be uncontrollably attached to his fight memories, like to a war veteran. Ryan is referring to the six times he down Haney with a left hook during the fight—three of which the referee recorded. Three more were waived by the referee in the seventh round. Haney suffered a significant blow by missing out on the rematch with Ryan, which might have resulted in a massive payoff. When he fights someone else, his career may end quickly because he won't get that type of money from fighting anyone else.

If you were unsure if Haney had moved on from the loss, his interview proved he hasn't. He remains unstable and can't let go of what occurred to him. Eddie Hearn, the promoter, was right. Haney appears to be physically and emotionally wounded. It won't be revealed to us until he fights once more. Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) attempted to downplay the defeat by claiming that Garcia's use of performance-enhancing drugs had improved Garcia. He seemed like a classic case of a warrior in denial, one who was still attempting to make sense of his experiences and utilizing coping strategies to keep himself from having to face the harsh reality.

“I am competitive. Everything has got to be right. Everything has just got to be on my terms. I tried to do it on your terms,” said Devin Haney in media reports.

“It must be exhausting trying to twist reality just to avoid admitting defeat. You know, not everyone gets a participation trophy in life. Maybe if you spent half the energy on self-improvement that you do on excuses, you'd actually get somewhere. But hey, denial is a skill too, I guess,” said Ryan Garcia on X.