Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) is set to return to the ring for the first time since his highly publicized clash with rival Devin Haney last year on April 20 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
Haney was originally scheduled to defend his WBC super lightweight title, but Garcia came in 3.2 pounds over the 140-pound limit for their 12-round bout. Garcia reportedly paid a $1.5 million fine to Haney, whose team chose not to insist on a second weigh-in.
The 26-year-old Garcia says he gets why Devin Haney and his father, Bill Haney, were throwing verbal jabs his way—saying he is “Skinny” during the final press conference for Friday’s Fatal Fury event at Times Square in New York City.
Garcia believes Bill is attempting to rebuild Devin’s confidence following his loss last April, but also sees it as an early move to drum up hype for their anticipated October rematch.
“It’s just that, ‘You look skinny.’ He was trying to prove I did PEDs. If I did it, why does he want to prove it so much to himself,” said Ryan Garcia to Fight Hub TV at the final press conference.
“It’s always going to be hard. I was fighting at 143 for all my fights. I never fought at 140 actually,” said Ryan about his struggles to make weight.
“So, no matter what, even in the 140s, everything is going to be tough.”
“I did it right this time. I’m not cutting at the last second. As you can see, I’m already skinny. I’m already on weight. Last time, I waited until the last day to lose 13 lbs, which is nuts, and only lost 10,” said Garcia.
“So, when he [Devin] says, ‘You look skinny,’ yeah, I cut way before. They’re trying to butter themselves up and make themselves more confident. That’s what it is. Again, he’s [Bill Haney] just trying to build up the fight. Build up the rematch and build up the belief in his son.
“His son doesn’t got no belief in himself. So, that’s exactly what he’s trying to do. He’s trying to find any edge, any angle. They know what the truth is. They know boxing. If you know boxing, you know what happened in the ring had nothing to do with no PEDs. His son got hit with the same shot a million times. That’s boxing. That ain’t no PEDs,” said Ryan about Devin Haney.