However, nothing would be bigger than a rematch between the two. Along with the bad blood between them, the stakes are raised significantly with it being a welterweight title unification fight.

Andre Ward, former super middleweight and light heavyweight champ, echoed that sentiment and believes the rematch against Garcia is the fight Haney should target next to erase the memory of their first encounter.

“I think that’s the fight that he needs to take,” Ward told The Ring before calling the Tyson Fury-Arslanbek Makhmudov card for Netflix on Saturday night in London. “You right that wrong, from a legacy standpoint, nobody can say anything. I think it’s also going to make him a much better fighter, because he’s able to deal with those personal demons.”

Haney (33-0, 15 KOs) and Garcia (25-2, 20 KOs) first met in April 2024, with the latter tallying three knockdowns in a majority-decision victory. The triumph was short-lived as Garcia failed multiple tests for the performance-enhancing drug Ostarine, which led to his win being overturned to a no-contest.

Garcia also missed weight by 3.2 pounds and wasn’t able to fight for Haney’s WBC 140-pound title.

The wheels were set in motion for Haney and Garcia to rematch late in 2025 when they fought on the The Ring’s card on May 2 in Times Square. Haney held up his end of the deal when he beat Jose Ramirez, but Rolly Romero ruined those plans when he dropped Garcia in the second round and upset him by unanimous decision.

Nearly one year later, Haney and Garcia are coming off world title wins on cards sponsored by The Ring, setting the stage for one of the biggest fights that can be made in boxing.

Haney, The Ring’s No. 1 welterweight, delivered a masterful performance against Brian Norman on November 22, dropping him in the second round and coasting to a unanimous decision to win the WBO welterweight title and become a three-division world champion. Garcia, The Ring’s No. 4 welterweight, dropped Mario Barrios inside the first minute of their fight en route to winning a dominant unanimous decision to nab the WBC belt on February 21.

“Ryan Garcia looked amazing in his last fight,” Ward said. “The hands are still fast, and power is still there. That fight sells itself. That’s a fight that I think they both should take right now.“

Ward believes that's a tall task for Haney, though it’s a situation many fighters have had to overcome to reach the pinnacle of their careers. Ward also feels that how the first fight played out could work in Haney’s favor.

“It won’t be easy, but it’s more than possible,” Ward said. “That's what makes fighters so resilient, is that deep place that you can go to in your mind. We’re constantly doubted. We’re constantly told we can’t do something, and Devin Haney will not be the first fighter to take a loss like that and bounce back. Even though he lost, I think there’s a lot that Devin Haney can take from that fight.

“He could have packed it in with the jaw. He could have packed it in with the early success and some of the late success that Ryan Garcia had. He never quit. He never packed it in. You can’t lose sight of that if you’re Devin Haney.”