Even After Failed Drugs Test and Missed Weight, Ryan Garcia Admits Devin Haney Was a ‘Tougher’ Fight Than Gervonta Davis

In the build-up to an epic majority-decision upset that saw Ryan Garcia defeat Devin Haney, Garcia’s mental health came into question. With his string of concerning social media posts, he’d gotten many worried. But as he floored Haney thrice to come out victorious, Garcia said, “Come on, guys, you really thought I was crazy?” Now, however, the narrative has shifted from his mental health to being involved in one of boxing’s most embarrassing controversies.

On the day of the final weigh-in, ‘KingRy’ missed weight! Following the fight, reports of Ryan Garcia failing drug tests soon took the boxing world by storm. Ever since, he has been fending off fire, especially from Team Haney and their supporters. Amid these accusations, though, the 25-year-old made a revelation that followers might find a bit unexpected for their tastes.

Ryan Garcia believes that his fight with Devin Haney was way tougher than the one he had with Gervonta Davis. So much so that he told Patrick Bet-David during their conversation that ‘The Dream’ would defeat ‘Tank’ if ever there is a clash between the two. With Garcia not having been let off the hook for the alleged drug usage before and after the Haney fight, the fact that he called his archrival a much heavier-duty fighter than a past opponent is something a diehard may find hard to contemplate.

In an appearance on the PBD Podcast, Garcia was asked to compare how he felt Haney’s hits compared to Davis’ from their fight back in April 2023. Even though ‘Tank’ beat Garcia, he said, “[Gervonta’s bout] wasn’t really a hard fight. I was just weak. That’s not a hard fight for me. I will beat Gervonta Davis worse than I beat Devin Haney. Devin Haney is a harder fight than Gervonta Davis.” To justify his “weak” claim, Garcia added,

“You can pull up the picture of how I looked like for the ‘Tank’ fight and how I looked for the Devin Haney fight.” Patrick Bet-David couldn’t help but pit Garcia’s two opponents against each other, asking the 25-year-old who would win that fight. ‘KingRy’ replied, “Haney beats ‘Tank.’” He continued, “‘Tank’ won’t get to Haney. Definitely, Haney will beat ‘Tank.’”

Ryan Garcia made these comments in the days following the fight. Despite holding Haney at a higher level than Davis, ‘Tank’ supported ‘KingRy’ amid his failed drug test accusations. With the 25-year-old trying to prove his innocence, Davis stood by Garcia and called out Claressa Shields on X, writing, “So Ryan beat buddy a** fair and square… what [does] Claressa have to say about this?” And not just that. The WBA lightweight has signaled a green light for a tentative rematch with ‘KingRy!’

However, before any of that is given the official green light, there’s…

A tough road ahead for Ryan Garcia

The months following the fight announcement saw Ryan Garcia at his bizarre best. Especially the outlandish social media activities took everyone by surprise. Many even thought whether he was mentally fit enough to pursue the fight. Then Garcia exceeded the mandated weight limit by 3.2 pounds. As a result, he forfeited his claim to Haney’s WBC light welterweight belt. But that was not all; he also ended up parting with reportedly $600,000 of his purse money.

But perhaps the disaster was reserved for after-fights. At the beginning of the month, increasing news reported that Ryan Garcia returned positive test results for the banned performance-enhancing drug (PED) ‘Ostarine.’ Garcia, though, proclaimed his innocence and denied any sort of involvement in wrongdoing. In a video on X, he said, “Everybody knows that I don’t cheat. I’ve never taken a steroid in my life. I don’t even know where to get steroids at the end of the day. I barely take supplements. Big lies, I beat his a**.”

He also questioned why the authorities didn’t stop him from getting into the ring if they’d found PEDs before the fight. Per the latest available reports, he seems to have requested his B-sample be tested. When news about this came out, and Garcia put out his statement, Devin Haney said, “We learned about this situation not too long ago, and it’s unfortunate Ryan cheated and disrespected both the fans and the sport of boxing by fighting dirty and breaking positive not once, but twice.”

What’s your take on Ryan Garcia’s assessment of the two fights as well as the accusations against him? Share your views with us in the comments!