Ryan Garcia posted today on X, saying he “can’t wait” to tell fans who he’s fighting next. He says fans can’t say he takes “weak fights,” which is a signal that he’s NOT fighting a rematch with Devin Haney next because that match would be viewed as a weak one by fans.
De La Hoya’s Influence
The potential opponents that many believe Ryan (24-1, 20 KOs) could be facing next are one of these fighters:
– Teofimo Lopez
– Vasily Lomachenko
Of those two, Teofimo (21-1, 13 KOs) would be the most likely one due to Golden Boy Promotions boss Oscar De La Hoya saying he wants him next for Ryan. Teofimo was also in London for the Ring Awards party and met with Turki Al-Sheikh. It’s an easy fight, as Teo doesn’t have an opponent, and he fights in the same division as Ryan at 140.
Teofimo still holds the WBO light welterweight title and is one of the most popular fighters in the division. That would be an excellent fight, and the promotion would be huge because Teo can help get fans interested. It wouldn’t just be Ryan doing all the hard work, like when he fought Devin Haney.
Kingry and Haney will likely fight again in 2025, provided Devin and Bill don’t try to boss Ryan around, acting like they’re the A-side and insisting he agree to VADA testing. Boxing fans are still interested in a second fight between them despite the one-sided nature of their clash last April.
Avoiding The Mud
If you’re Garcia, it might be better to wash his hands of Haney and move on permanently. If he does fight him, he’ll likely dirty the promotion by reminding fans and the media that Kingry tested positive for Ostarine in the previous fight. Devin will likely mention it so frequently that Ryan’s name will be dragged through the mud many times when the fight plays out. There would be no victory because his rep would be stained.
A Clean Break
There’s no coming out ahead if fans think Garcia is a drug cheat due to them being told over and over again by Haney that he was dirty for the previous fight. It wouldn’t be worth it for Ryan to take the battle with Devin in the long run. It would be fine if Haney didn’t keep talking about Garcia’s positive test, but he was already talking up a storm about it last week during interviews in his London workout.
I can’t wait for you guys to see who I’m fighting 👀👀
One thing you can’t say about me is I take weak fights ever
Only one really doing it
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) January 15, 2025
