Promoter Oscar De La Hoya says Ryan Garcia will have a tune-up fight in late April or May when his suspension expires. He says he’ll just be a warm-up opponent and not a world champion, since Kingry will be out of the ring for a year.
Targeting Teofimo and Ennis
After Garcia (24-1, 20 KO) makes the adjustment, the plan is to put him in a big fight, likely against one of these two fighters:
– Teofimo Lopez
-Jaron “Boots” Ennis
If IBF welterweight champion Boots Ennis is still fighting at 147, he would be a good option for Garcia. He is viewed as the best in his weight class. He doesn’t come with all the baggage that Teofimo does, looking poor in frequent fights and racking up several controversial victories.
“A fighter who has a year’s layoff is never a good thing. So, his comeback fight should be a kind of warm-up fight, a tune-up fight that we call boxing,” Oscar De La Hoya told Fight Hub TV about Ryan Garcia’s return to the ring. “Someone who’s not a world champion.” In 2025.
“Right now, in his division, whether he’s 147 pounds or between 140 and 147, there are a lot of great names for him. Once Ryan gets back to work, once Ryan gets back into the rhythm and gets into a tune-up battle, maybe in late April or maybe early May, I want to put it on my best list.
“That’s what Ryan wants to do, challenge himself and fight the best, whether it’s Teofimo Lopez or Boots Ennis or whoever is the best. We still have Devin Haney, who wants a rematch against Ryan Garcia. Who knows? Maybe it will happen,” De La Hoya said. “Again, but again, I’ll sit down with Ryan and we’ll come up with a plan.”
De La Hoya doesn’t seem to think Ryan should give Haney a rematch, given their fight was one-sided last April. Throughout Oscar’s career, he would move forward after defeating the opposition.
The only exceptions were against Julio Cesar Chavez and Shane Mosley. Hani is not on the same level of talent and popularity as these two. So, Ryan doesn’t need to give Devin a rematch unless he can stay popular and busy, which he’s not currently doing. He seems to be waiting for Ryan.
It looks like Haney will have to wait a while before his rematch with Garcia, which may never happen. The risk for Devin waiting is that he will need to stay busy with his career, and he will have to fight good opposition to get the kind of money he is accustomed to getting for his fights.
Fighting a contender or champion at 140 or 147 pounds would be risky for Haney because they hit harder than the guys he was feeding off of when he was 135. They’re not as big as Regis Prograis, who Haney beat for the WBC light welterweight title. title last year on December 9, 2023.
If Haney loses to someone while waiting for his rematch with Ryan Garcia to happen, it would likely permanently eliminate any chance of a rematch. Ryan wouldn’t waste his time helping a drowning man.
No rematch Hani?
“I’ve never heard of a fighter suing a fighter for battery. We’re in the business of hitting opponents,” De La Hoya said, speaking about Devin Haney’s lawsuit against Ryan. “So, I’ve never heard that in my entire career as a fighter or Meadows. But yeah, that opens the door. It’s a great story.
“It’s bullshit, but the only way to fight is in the ring. Who knows? Maybe we can see another one, or maybe not. I think Ryan gave a performance like no other in his life. The way Ryan Garcia handled Devin,” De La Hoya said. Hani, for me personally, does not require a rematch, but the back-and-forth confrontation is very intense.”
This lawsuit by Haney could work against him in the long run, as he gets the rematch he wants against Ryan. It’s not clear whether Devin and his father, Bill Haney, saw the bigger picture.
Losing to Kingry was a bitter pill to swallow, but if they want a rematch, they are going about it the wrong way. Furthermore, public perception of Haney is largely negative of his decision to sue Ryan, with fans seeing it as weakness on his part.
