Devin Haney’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, says his fighter will want his loss from his fight against Ryan Garcia to be changed to a “no-contest” due to Ryan’s two positive drug tests for their clash.
Ryan defeated Haney by a 12-round majority decision on April 20th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. During the fight, the previously unbeaten Haney (31-1, 15 KOs) was knocked down three times and almost knocked out.
Hearn Expresses Haney’s Frustration
“I spoke to Devin last night, he’s absolutely furious. The guy came in 3 lbw overweight and had PEDs in his system. He will want an immediate no-contest. Regardless of Ryan’s innocence or guilt, he had PEDs in his system when he fought Devin and came in 3 lbs overweight. If you’re Devin, you’re thinking, ‘F*** me, I’ve been screwed,'” said Hearn to Charlie Parson’s YouTube channel.
Reports state that Ryan, 25, had two performance-enhancing substances in his system for his fight against Haney. That obviously takes away from Ryan’s win, showing that it wasn’t legitimate.
Lingering Doubts for Haney
Still, it’s hardly a win-win for Haney, as he looked every bit as weak-chinned and powerless as he had in his fight against Jorge Linares in 2021. In that fight, Haney was repeatedly hurt in the second half of the contest, and was forced to hold excessively to keep from being knocked out.
Haney’s team will look to nullify his loss, giving him an unbeaten record, but he’s still tainted after this fight. After that performance, you can’t picture a positive outcome for Haney if he goes up against one of the punchers in the 140-lb division, like Subriel Matias, Isaac Cruz, or Teofimo Lopez.
“You have to prove to the New York State Athletic Commission that you didn’t know it was ingested or how it was ingested,” said Hearn. “You are guilty until you are proven innocent.
The Road to Rematch
Haney wants a rematch, but it remains to be seen if Ryan will grant him one. Ryan’s positive PED tests obviously improve Haney’s chances of getting a second fight.
Ryan looked like Superman in the fight with his power, and the way that he was able to reduce Haney to rubble each time he’d turn it on with his powerful left hooks. Haney showed no ability to withstand Ryan’s lefts and was reduced to holding most of the second half of the contest.
The referee allowed Haney to hold without docking points, which saved him from being knocked out.
