Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney may never put their animosity to rest. The pair met in April 2024, delivering a far more dramatic showdown than most expected. With Haney’s polished resume and unbeaten run, many had written Garcia off. Yet their amateur history told a different story. When they stepped under the bright lights, the outcome stunned the boxing world. Garcia steamrolled Haney, producing a majority-decision victory. But the celebration didn’t last. 

Garcia later tested positive for Ostarine, resulting in a year-long suspension and the bout being overturned, wiping Haney’s lone professional loss from the record. Since then, the two have gone in opposite directions. Ryan Garcia suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Rolando Romero, while Haney bounced back with strong wins over José Ramirez and Brian Norman Jr. at welterweight last month. Still, for Haney, the bitterness hasn’t faded one bit.

Devin Haney rips open the old wounds of Ryan Garcia

Having defeated Norman Jr. convincingly at the ANB Arena in Riyadh to claim the WBO welterweight strap, Haney didn’t hesitate to gloat about producing clean VADA drug-test results.

“16 weeks of testing! All hard work.. dedication & discipline. No needles like Ryan Garcia 😅,” Haney wrote alongside a picture of his VADA results.

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This is a direct shot at Garcia’s positive drug test, where he tested positive for Ostarine twice—both in his A and B samples.

Garcia, however, continues to insist he did nothing wrong, maintaining it was simply a case of accidental contamination. The Victorville native is now scheduled to face WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on February 21. If he manages to secure the win, Ryan Garcia could position himself for a unification bout with Devin Haney later down the line. Interestingly, Haney’s camp is banking on that rivalry to help sell pay-per-views.

Haney’s rise back into the spotlight hasn’t been without setbacks. After his win over Ramirez earlier this year, he faced heavy criticism for a lackluster and overly defensive performance. But he shifted the narrative with a far more aggressive showing against Norman Jr.—a fight many saw as a genuine 50-50 matchup. Still, to make Haney–Garcia 2 a reality, Ryan must first get through Barrios, who produced a majority draw victory over Manny Pacquiao in his last outing. 

And Barrios has no intention of making Garcia’s path to a rematch any easier.

Mario Barrios has teamed up with Garcia’s former trainer 

Mario Barrios has officially teamed up with Garcia’s former trainer, Hall of Famer Joe Goossen, ahead of their February 21 clash. This is a move the WBC welterweight champion believes will elevate his career. Announcing the switch from longtime coach Bob Santos, Barrios said, “It just makes sense for me for where I am at in my career. Me and Joe are very familiar with each other… I know his style and what he teaches and brings as a coach.”

Goossen, who began working with Barrios two weeks ago, echoed the positive start, noting, “We are gelling really well. We are working on perfection right now, with a lot of rounds on the floor.”

The twist? Goossen previously trained Garcia during his 2022–23 run, guiding him to wins before their split after the Gervonta Davis loss. Ryan Garcia responded to the news with trademark swagger. “Ya’ll are going to get cooked—it’s over.”

With added storyline heat, Barrios insists, “This move with Joe is going to help bring everything together.”

Having said that, even though an eventual fight between Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney hasn’t officially been announced, it appears the pair has already started building the stage for it. Would you watch the rematch?