Boxing controversialist, Ryan Garcia is back in the headlines. Following his one-year boxing suspension, the 26-year-old has sought a rematch against rival Devin Haney, pleading his case to Royal Saudi adviser Turki Alalshikh. And guess what, the 43-year-old minister has agreed to it on one condition – Garcia must clear the drug test and solve everything from his end.
Speaking to ‘The Stomping Ground’s’ Charlie Parsons during a one-on-one interview, the Saudi minister for entertainment shared his thoughts on ‘KingRy’ and mentioned his interaction with the young boxer. His Excellency Turki Alalshikh said,
“First of all, I like this guy (Ryan Garcia) and second I want to do a big fight with him and he asked me to do the rematch between him and (Devin) Haney and we want to see this fight. But I’ll tell you my situation now… I’m against drugs and everything, I said to Ryan Garcia – ‘you must pass the test and clear yourself’ and I’m waiting for you and this is fair…I will not do it in Saudi Arabia, I will respect the suspension but if he solves his problem we’re ready to do something with him.”
His Excellency Turki Alalshikh has revealed that he spoke to Ryan Garcia and wants to make the Devin Haney rematch, but won't try to circumvent Garcia's drugs ban and will only work with him if he is clean…
[🔊 @CharIieParsons / The Stomping Ground] pic.twitter.com/O7Qx8IkCSp
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) August 16, 2024
It has been more than three months since Garcia last faced off against long-time rival and WBC super lightweight title holder, Devin Haney. Despite the monumental upset win over the champion, Garcia faced the guns after he tested positive for Ostarine, a banned substance. Subsequently, the decision was overturned in addition to the one-year ban levied on Garcia by the New York State Athletic Commission.
Finding himself in a precarious position with the commission decking the boxer with a hefty fine and a suspension, Garcia turned to the Saudi minister for a rematch. While His Excellency has expressed his desire to set up the bout, admitting that he is a fan of ‘The Flash’ and his work, he insisted that Garcia must come clean and pass the drug tests for him to make it happen.
Meanwhile, Garcia is scrambling to land himself a fight and had recently confronted boxing legend, Manny Pacquiao after his exhibition match against K1 kickboxer, Rukiya Anpo.
Garcia reportedly in talks with ‘PacMan’ & RIZIN for an exhibition bout
Boxing icon and 8-division world champion, Pacquiao returned to the boxing ring a few weeks ago after a lengthy hiatus at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan for an exhibition match. Despite the bout being just three rounds the Filipino icon faced a tough challenge from kickboxing champion, Anpo, and this has got Garcia pumped.
Garcia entered the ring after the bout and expressed his desire to fight in Japan, either against Anpo or Pacquiao. More importantly, Rizin CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara isn’t concerned about the commission standing in the way of Garcia returning in a non-sanctioned exhibition. According to a report from The Sun, he said,
“If this unofficial fight were to happen in Rizin, in Japan, I believe there will be no reason for the New York State Athletic Commission to try to stop Ryan.”
And just like that, Garcia got the ball rolling, kick-starting another row of conversation in the fight world, keeping his stocks intact.
