Devin Haney has supplied his prediction for the struggle between his former foe Ryan Garcia and WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios.
Garcia is predicted to lock horns with Barrios on February 21, with ‘King Ry’ declaring on social media final week that he has signed on the dotted line.
The 27-year-old’s first outing at 147lbs didn’t precisely go in line with plan, nevertheless, as a lacklustre efficiency in the end noticed him lose a unanimous choice to Rolando Romero.
That second skilled defeat arrived in Might, simply over a 12 months faraway from Garcia’s controversial majority choice victory over Haney, which was later overturned to a no-contest.
This was as a result of ‘King Ry’ had examined constructive for ostarine, a performance-enhancing substance, which then prompted the New York State Athletic Fee at hand him a year-long ban. Regardless of that, and certainly his loss to Romero, Garcia is ready for the prospect to turn into world champion at 147lbs in 2026..
Since his first encounter with Garcia, in the meantime, Haney has bounced again with an uneventful win over Jose Ramirez, who he outpointed in Might, and a much more spectacular show in opposition to Brian Norman Jr.
After flooring his man within the second spherical of their struggle final Saturday, Haney encountered minimal issue earlier than claiming a unanimous choice victory over Norman and being topped the brand new WBO welterweight champion.
With the 27-year-old having turn into a three-division world champion, it might appear {that a} rematch with Garcia stays on the prime of his want listing.
Talking with Struggle Hub TV after his victory over Norman, Haney expressed his confidence that their potential showdown will materialise and that will probably be a unification.
“After all [I want the rematch with Garcia] – that’s redemption. The identical approach he was rooting for me [against Norman], I’ll be rooting for him [against Barrios].
“I need him to win, and I believe that [the stars] will align. It’ll be an enormous struggle.”
If Garcia can defeat Barrios, a two-belt conflict in opposition to Haney would definitely be one of many largest fights of 2026.
