Promoter Oscar De La Hoya says Ryan Garcia will take a tune-up fight in late April or May when his suspension expires. He says it’ll be just a warmup-level opponent and not a world champion, given that Kingry will have been out of the ring for a year.
Targeting Teofimo & Ennis
After Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) takes a tune-up, the plan is to put him in a big fight, potentially against one of these two fighters:
– Teofimo Lopez
– Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis
If IBF welterweight champion Boots Ennis is still fighting at 147, he’d be a good option for Garcia. He’s seen as the best in his weight class. He doesn’t come with all the baggage that Teofimo does, with him looking poor in repeated fights and having several controversial wins.
“A fighter having a year layoff is never a good thing. So, his comeback fight must be some kind of warmup fight, a tuneup fight we call in boxing, somebody that is not a world champion,” said Oscar De La Hoya to Fight Hub TV about Ryan Garcia’s comeback fight when he returns to the ring in 2025.
“Right now, in his division, whether it’s 147 lbs or in between 140 and 147, there are a lot of great names out there for him. Once Ryan gets back in action, once Ryan gets back in rhythm and has a tune-up fight, possibly in late April or maybe early May, then I want to throw him in with the very best.
“That’s what Ryan wants to do, challenge himself and fight the best, whether it’s Teofimo Lopez or Boots Ennis or whoever the best is. We still have Devin Haney, who wants that rematch against Ryan Garcia. Who knows? Maybe that will happen again, but again, I’ll sit down with Ryan, and we’ll carve out a plan,” said De La Hoya.
De La Hoya doesn’t seem to think Ryan should give Haney a rematch, given how one-sided their fight was last April. During Oscar’s career, he would move on after defeating the opposition.
The only exceptions were against Julio Cesar Chavez and Shane Mosley. Haney isn’t at the same level of talent and popularity as those two. So, Ryan doesn’t need to give Devin a rematch unless he can stay popular and busy, which he is currently not doing. He just seems to be waiting for Ryan.
It sounds like Haney will have to wait a while for a rematch with Garcia, which might never happen. The risk for Devin in having to wait is that he will need to stay busy with his career, and he’ll have to fight good opposition to get the kind of money he’s grown accustomed to getting for his fights.
Fighting a top 140 or 147-lb contender or champion will be risky for Haney because they punch harder than the guys he’d been feasting on at 135. They’re not old like Regis Prograis, who Haney defeated to capture his WBC light welterweight title last year on December 9, 2023.
If Haney loses to someone while he waits for the rematch with Ryan Garcia to happen, that would likely permanently eliminate any chance of a second fight. Ryan isn’t going to waste time helping out a drowning man.
No Haney Rematch?
“I’ve never heard of a fighter suing a fighter for battery. We’re in the business of battering opponents,” said De La Hoya, talking about Devin Haney’s lawsuit he has out on Ryan. “So, I’ve never heard that in my entire career as a fighter or a promoter. But yeah, that opens up the door. It’s a great storyline.
“It’s nonsense, but the only way to square off is inside the ring. Who knows? Maybe we could see another one, or maybe we won’t. I think Ryan put on a performance of a lifetime. The way Ryan Garcia handled Devin Haney, to me personally, doesn’t call for a rematch, but the back and forth is pretty intense,” said De La Hoya.
This lawsuit by Haney could work against him in the long run, getting the rematch he wants against Ryan. It’s unclear if Devin and his dad, Bill Haney, have seen the wider picture.
It was a bitter pill to swallow losing to Kingry, but if they want the rematch, they’re going at it in the wrong way. Moreover, the public perception of Haney is largely negative from his decision to sue Ryan, as fans see that as a weakness on his part.
