Ryan Garcia reacts to news of Devin Haney suing him for battery and fraud
The Ryan Garcia vs Devin Haney saga continues. As of recent events, Haney is suing 'KingRy' for alleged battery, fraud, and unjust enrichement. Since there's been no news of the two having a fistfight other than their April battle, this means that Haney might be the first boxer in history to sue his opponent for beating him in a sanctioned contest.
Garcia expressed the absurdity of the lawsuit in his eyes, writing in an Instagram post:
"I’m being sued for doing my Job 😂😂😂This fight has been a Netflix documentary but this right here is the finale. Your honor he simply struggles with left hook syndrome."
Despite the seemingly absurd nature of the lawsuit, there might be something grounded on the law book that Haney and his team are banking on, otherwise it wouldn't have been filed.
In the April bout, Ryan Garcia weighed in significantly overweight and then proceeded to batter Haney en route to a majority decision win. Days later, Garcia was caught by the Voluntary Anti Dopinig Association (VADA) and New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) for testing positive for the banned substance Ostarine.
The fight was later overturned to a No-Contest in light of Garcia testing postiive for banned PEDs. He was also suspended for a year. This might be the grounds upon which Haney's lawsuit stems from.
Devin Haney's lawsuit against Ryan Garcia explored
In a report by Boxing Scene's Lance Pugmire, Haney's attourney Pat English did cite Garcia's PEDs usage as the impetus for them to file the lawsuit, as written in a 16-page document. Haney is seeking punitive damages for the multiple transgressions Garcia committed in and around the fight.
English wrote in the lawsuit:
“At no time did Devin Haney consent to engage in a bout against a boxer who was positive for a performance-enhancing drug, performance enhancing-procedure or masking agent and would not have proceeded with the bout had he known. The New York State Athletic Commission would not have permitted the bout had it known of the positive finding or of Garcia’s IV use."
Devin Haney is also suing Ryan Garcia's promotion, Golden Boy Promotions, for unjust enrichment as they allegedly breached their contract by depriving the American boxer funds demanded by an NYSAC consent order. No response from Golden Boy has been made public yet. This is a developing story and we'll keep our ears on the ground for more updates.