"Lost his shot” - Ryan Garcia explains why he no longer wants to face Devin Haney
Ryan Garcia's recent change of stance on fighting Devin Haney came as a surprise to the boxing world.
'KingRy' took to X on Saturday to share that he will now be targeting a fight with Rolando Romero, the WBA super lightweight champion, instead of a WBC super lightweight title fight with Haney.
'The Dream' defeated Regis Prograis is stunning fashion last month to become the new WBC champion at 140 pounds. He welcomed Garcia's callout in the wake of his super lightweight win.
During a recent interview with InsideFighting, Garcia elaborated on his reasons for no longer pursuing a fight with Haney. He said this:
"Yeah, Devin lost his shot. He thought it was Haney-Garcia. He should have known that it was Garcia-Haney. For sure [he thought he was the a-side]. He did 35 000 pay-per-view buys."
Watch the video below from 0:48:
Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia are two of boxing's biggest rising stars, and the pair could certainly clash in the future should their potential fight not materialize in 2024.
Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney trade words online after 'KingRy' changes his mind on facing him
Devin Haney was called out by Ryan Garcia after his record-breaking victory over Regis Prograis in December to become the new WBC super lightweight champion.
'KingRy' appeared eager to set-up a big money fight with Haney after bouncing back from his defeat to Gervonta Davis with a KO win against Oscar Duarte in December.
Eddie Hearn, the promoter of 'The Dream', confirmed that negotiations were ongoing between the parties during an interview several weeks ago. However, in a major turn of events, Garcia took to X yesterday to post the following:
"I’ve notified my team I’m going a different route. My intent now is to fight Rolando Romero. I pray my team backs me on this decision. Oscar, make this fight happen. THAT'S THE MOVE. BIGGER FIGHT, BIGGER BUSINESS.
"After what happens to Rollies, the Dev fight will be there and even bigger. Everyone critiquing now. Will end up seeing it was a better move. Plus he can go fight Richardson Hitchens. Go do your 30k PPV buys. I don’t need you Dev, you need me."
Haney fired back at 'KingRy' by posting this:
"Don’t ever mention my name p**sy boi."
Ryan Garcia responded with the following:
"You'll be back."