Written by Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney | Photo by Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images
Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney are one step away from throwing down again.
The rivals make their return to the ring this May in separate bouts according to an announcement by Saudi Arabian official and boxing promoter Turki Alalshikh. Garcia (24-1, 1 NC) is set to fight former super lightweight champion Rolando Romero (16-2), while Haney (31-0, 1 NC) fights former light welterweight champion Jose Ramirez (29-2).
An exact date is still to be determined, with Times Square in New York designated as the location. The event will not be part of Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season project, but instead fall under The Ring banner. Alalshikh recently purchased the long-running boxing magazine.
Garcia and Haney have not fought since their grudge match this past April, which was rife with drama. In the buildup to the fight, Garcia exhibited erratic behavior in public and on social media, then missed weight for the bout by over three pounds. That made him ineligible to win Haney’s WBC super lightweight title and resulted in him having to pay Haney $600,000 after Garcia agreed to a pre-fight wager that he would not come in heavy.
Fight night brought even more chaos as Garcia scored three knockdowns in the fight en route to a majority decision win over the heavily favored Haney. However, the win was later overturned to a no-contest when Garcia tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug. Garcia was fined $1.1 million and suspended for a year after accepting a plea deal. Haney said Garcia should be banned from competition and he subsequently sued Garcia for battery, fraud, and unjust enrichment.
Garcia was recently tied to an exhibition bout with RIZIN’s Rukiya Anpo that was supposed to take place in Japan on Dec. 30, but the bout fell through when Garcia was forced to withdraw due to a wrist injury.