The boxers first met in April 2023 for the WBC Super-Lightweight World Title. Garcia won by unanimous decision, knocking Haney down three times. But the result didn't stand. Garcia missed weight before the fight, making him ineligible to win the belt. Later, he tested positive twice for Ostarine, a banned substance. This led to the New York State Athletic Commission banning Garcia for a year and the fight result changing to a no-contest.
ESPN." rel="noopener" target="_blank">Haney didn't stop there. He filed a lawsuit against Garcia for battery, fraud, and breach of contract
.Now, Haney wants Garcia to prove he's clean before they fight again. In a recent interview, Haney laid out his conditions:
"I think he should sign up for the 24/7 VADA programme, show he's a clean athlete and then get back to boxing. If he's clean, yeah. We want an even playing ground. I think that's important."
Haney mentioned he's signed up for year-round testing himself. He said a rematch could happen in 2025, but not next, as he's got a fight in March.
Garcia didn't take kindly to Haney's demands. He took to X (formerly Twitter) to respond. Garcia said he'll never use VADA again and threw some accusations at Devin's father, Bill Haney:
"It's getting really strange why it's always VADA can we get some other organisations to test? All this sounds like the people pushing to use VADA are getting some type of cut money wise to have people use VADA. Seems unethical."
Garcia doubled down on his innocence, saying: "I will always state my innocence. I'm clean. That organisation I will never use again."
The two fighters will likely meet in the ring again due to the potential payday. But for now, whether they'll settle their rivalry remains up in the air.