NEW YORK – Last week, Devin Haney sat in a hotel suite, 20 floors above the hustle and bustle of midtown Manhattan, a couple blocks from where he will fight Jose Ramirez on May 2.

It marked the unofficial start of the former undisputed lightweight champion’s redemption tour. This is about more than Haney (31-0, 15 KOs, 1 NC) boxing in an iconic space, Times Square, against a former unified junior welterweight champion in Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs).

The Oakland native is determined to get back what he believes he deserves. Not in the way of world titles and bigger purses. No, this 12-round welterweight fight is about respect for the 26-year-old Haney.

“This is a dream come true,” Garcia said. “Since I was a kid, my dad always told me about ‘The Big Apple,’ and how big it was to be fighting here one day, and if [I were] to come here how big it would be. I’m happy to be back here and I’m excited, especially after the Ryan fight and what happened in that fight, I’m happy to be here to redeem myself and put on a great performance.”

Haney thought he would defeat a seemingly ill-prepared Garcia, who spoke of drinking and partying before what was scheduled as a 12-round, 140-pound championship match last April 20 at nearby Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Garcia, an amateur rival and rare mainstream star in boxing, came in 3½ pounds overweight the day before they fought.

The polarizing Garcia said countless outlandish things as well during the buildup of their DAZN Pay-Per-View main event.

That didn’t stop him from landing one of his trademark left hooks 40 seconds into their fight, which wobbled Haney. It sent an immediate message that let Haney know he was in for a brutal battle with a harder puncher.

The heavy-handed Garcia knocked Haney to the canvas three times, once apiece in the seventh, 10th and 11th rounds.

Haney got up from each of those knockdowns, made it to the final bell and still lost only a majority decision after losing those three points. Referee Harvey Dock also deducted a point from Garcia for hitting Haney off a break in the seventh round.

The official result was overturned to a no-contest because Garcia tested positive for ostarine, a banned substance. The New York State Athletic Commission subsequently suspended Garcia for a year and fined him $1.2 million.

He, too, will return from a 54-week layoff May 2. Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs, 1 NC), of Victorville, California, is set to face former WBA super lightweight champ Rolando “Rolly” Romero (16-2, 13 KOs), of North Las Vegas, Nevada, in the fight following Haney-Ramirez.

If Garcia and Haney, both heavily favored, win their fights they will box again sometime in October. Haney believes he will be much more prepared for their rematch than their first fight.

“I learned so many things about myself,” Haney said. “It was definitely a lesson in the ring. I got the experience. I faced adversity and I got up, and I finished the fight strong. I learned character. I learned so many things money cannot buy, just experience. You never know what a fighter is made of until they have those type of moments, until they have to show it. And I think that I showed it.”