Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney opponents named as road to rematch begins
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The rivals will share a fight card in May, and if both men win, they will clash later this year. Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney’s opponents have been named ahead of their shared fight card in May, as the road to their rematch begins. Turki Al-Sheikh, boxing’s most influential matchmaker, announced this month that Garcia and Haney will fight each other later this year, but only if they win their respective bouts at an event in May.
![[Ryan Garcia (right) and Devin Haney fought each other six times as amateurs, before meeting again as professionals]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/06/21/09/newFile.jpg)
Al-Sheikh has now confirmed the Americans’ opponents, with Garcia boxing Rolly Romero and Haney facing Jose Ramirez. In April 2024, Garcia dropped Haney three times en route to a decision win, but the result was overturned after “King Ryan” failed a drug test – which saw him banned for a year.
Garcia, 26, was already ineligible to take the WBC super-lightweight title from Haney, also 26, having missed weight before the fight. As such, Haney remains the WBC champion, and he is still technically undefeated. When the “Dream” faces Ramirez, he will be fighting a former WBC and WBO super-lightweight title holder. Meanwhile, Garcia has long been linked to a bout with Romero.
Speaking to The Independent and Queensberry this month, Haney said: “I want to make big fights happen, get back everything I lost in that fight [with Garcia], and more. I want the world to see I’m still a force to be reckoned with, I’m still one of the best fighters in the world, and that fight took nothing out of me. That’s important for me to prove to the world, prove to myself.”.
