Bill Haney blasted Ryan Garcia today on social media about his bold talk despite never capturing a world title to back it up. Papa Haney says Ryan is “yapping” but he did not sign up for a random drug test. He sees Ryan as a “fake”.
Will Ryan Garcia appease Bill Haney?
Bill wants that as a preliminary move before any discussions can start for a rematch with his son, Devin, who took a bad loss to Kingry earlier this year on April 20 in Brooklyn, New York.
Ryan (24-1, 20 KOs) tested positive for the banned PED Ostarine for that fight, and Devin sued him for Battery, Fraud, and Breach of Contract. Bill did not say whether Devin (31-0, 15 KOs) would drop the suit if Ryan signed up for the drug test and agreed to a rematch.
Eventually, Ryan can give Haney the rematch after he cools down and forgets about the process. This may depend on whether a decision favors Haney and Ryan is stuck paying millions. If that’s the case, the chances of Haney ever getting a rematch are pretty low.
Ryan didn’t want to appease Bill and make concessions just to drop the lawsuit. Ryan won’t say yes to the drug test, a rematch, and possibly taking a smaller cut of the loot for Devin’s rematch. He is proud, and he will know that he gives up a lot just to get rid of the process, and he may disagree.
The Sharks expect Devin at 147
Haney should move forward with his career, take the best fight he can get, and hope he doesn’t retire. Devin’s options at welterweight are all dangerous and pay little compared to a rematch with Ryan.
– Jaron Ennis
Mario Barrios
– Brian Norman Jr.
– Eimantas Stanionis
– Conor Benn
Neither of those fighters are popular PPV attractions in the US, and it’s questionable whether Haney would be the favorite against any of them, even against Conor Benn. It’s obvious that Haney’s career will implode once he reaches the crushing depths of the 147lb division. He is ill-equipped with the power and chin to compete in that weight class.
Again, there is no one to fight that he can earn the money that he had to fight Ryan. None of these guys have a big 12 million followers on Instagram, and they are not promoted for a lack of charisma. Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn fights Boots Ennis.
At this point, Haney’s stock is so low that another defeat will diminish what little marketability he has left. Given former two-division world champion Haney’s size, he has surpassed the 140 lb. division and will compete among the sharks in the 147 lb. division.
While that weight class is barren of talent, the top guys have good power, and it’s hard to imagine a positive future for Haney fighting in that division.
If you throw Haney in with welterweight champions Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis or Brian Norman Jr, it won’t end well for him. Those two predatory sharks feasted on a tender bite like Haney, who had nothing to take back but a few labial teeth.
It’s unlikely that Bill will target either of these champions for Devin to fight for a world welterweight title, but even Stanionis and Barrios will be dangerous for him. I don’t think Haney would beat any of those fighters, even though they are undoubtedly paper champions.
If Bill saw how dire Devin’s situation was, he would get down on his hands and knees and beg Ryan to give his son a rematch because, without it, his career isn’t worth much now. It was pretty much over when Devin moved up to 140, but the only reason he won his first fight in the weight class was because former promoter Eddie Hearn matched him against the old and slow Regis Prograis.
If Hearn had matched Haney up against Liam Paro or Subrial Matias, it’s probably gone, and there was never an opportunity to fight Ryan Garcia for him. Haney should stick with Hearn because he does a good job of selecting his opposition.
Some believe that even if Ryan did all these things, he would agree to be the B-side in the promotion, have his second name, and take a smaller cut of the revenue. Once Ryan agrees to the drug test and the rematch, will he continue to jump through Bill’s hoops and toe the line to make the rematch happen? It could be.
Rematch might not be worth it
In the end, how does Ryan come out ahead? Oscar De La Hoya said Haney-Garcia just did it 300,000 PPV buys for their April 20 fight on DAZN pay-per-view. Those numbers suggest that the boxing public wasn’t excited to see that fight, which was a mismatch, with Ryan wiping the deck with Haney.
Will the rematch bring a bigger number after what fans saw last April? I don’t think so. When fans see a fighter get eliminated, they aren’t eager to buy the rematch on PPV. In this case, there may be even fewer PPV buys due to Haney choosing to ask Ryan, because fans see that as a sign of weakness on his part.
If Bill wants Devin to get his rematch with Ryan, he should drop the suit, not make drug test requests because he will be tested anyway, and take a smaller cut of the bag based on his defeat last April
Bill makes a big deal about Ryan not winning any world titles, but the only reason Devin won his titles is because the divisions were watered down. He took three of his belts from George Kambosos Jr. at 135. He was elevated to the WBC lightweight champion. At 140, Devin beats the 35-year-old Prograis to win the WBC belt.
Man, I’ve been hearing all this crap from Lying Ryan who hasn’t signed up for a random test yet, yelling from the top of the mountain like he has a belt to back him up. But let’s keep it real – ZERO championships, just fake titles.
– Bill Haney (@BillHaney77) October 20, 2024
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) October 18, 2024
