Ryan Garcia erupted at WBA “regular” welterweight champion Jack Catterall after the British fighter called him a drug cheat while campaigning for a fight with Devin Haney.
Catterall praised Haney while dismissing Garcia’s 2024 majority-decision win because Garcia tested positive for ostarine afterward.
“I respect Devin Haney, he’s a real one, and he’s only lost to a drug cheat, so he’s undefeated in my eyes,” Catterall stated on X. “I’m in boxing to challenge myself against the best. DAZN should actively be pushing for this fight. We’re both on the same platform.”
Catterall is courting Devin and Bill Haney in public, hoping this vocal support gets him selected over Liam Paro. The Briton and the IBF welterweight champion are the two primary candidates for Haney’s next fight.
Calling Haney “a real one” while treating him as morally undefeated allows Catterall to present himself as the more loyal choice. He is endorsing Team Haney’s stance on Garcia while asking DAZN to deliver the bout.
Ryan responded with a personal attack, arguing that the Ostarine detected in his system provided no advantage against Haney.
“You are an irreverent idiot,” Ryan stated. “You call me a cheat when it’s a fact that what was found in my system had no impact in the fight. Nor was I in shape for the fight, so what benefits did I take from anything? Stop being a pussy and a cuck to Devin Haney.”
Garcia’s explanation does not erase the positive tests or the official punishment. The New York State Athletic Commission changed his victory to a no-contest and handed him a one-year suspension. Claiming he was out of shape is also a strange defense because it does nothing to prove the substance did not assist him.
Jack is not an innocent bystander stepping into somebody else’s dispute. He wants the next big payday, giving him a financial incentive to endorse Haney’s position.
Eddie Hearn believes Catterall’s name may simply be getting used to drive down Paro’s asking price. Catterall is betting that siding publicly with Devin and Bill Haney will win him the fight, but his support may only help them secure a cheaper deal with the IBF champion.