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It appears evident that Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney still cannot stand each other.
Garcia, who appeared on The MMA Hour on Feb. 26, told host Ariel Helwani that he allegedly wished Haney a 'Merry Christmas' that the WBC super lightweight champion took offense to. Garcia claimed that Haney then felt the statement was disrespectful to his religion, a notion that 'King Ryan' found 'dumb.'
Garcia told Helwani:
"[Devin Haney] is a dumb a**. I never disrespected his religion. I want that to be clear right now. First of all, I would never do that. Second of all, I could show you the DMs, I said: 'Merry Christmas.' He took that as disrespect. Did I know that Muslims don't celebrate Christmas? No!"
Garcia would repeatedly refer to Haney as 'dumb,' claiming he believes in Jesus Christ but does not follow any religion. The boxer stated he 'does not hate anybody' while alleging his photographer is a 'dope' Muslim.
Garcia would also angrily claim he told Haney "not to bring religion into this" before saying he has no 'bad heart' towards any differing opinion.
Haney and Garcia are set to settle their dispute on April 20 in Brooklyn, New York.
Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia signed for April 20
Shortly after claiming he was pursuing a fight with Rolando Romero, Ryan Garcia signed to fight Devin Haney on April 20 for his WBC super lightweight title.
The bout will reportedly be available on DAZN PPV with association to Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions.
Haney, 31-0, is coming off his divisional debut, a unanimous decision win over Regis Prograis to win the belt. Previously, Haney was the unified lightweight champion but vacated the titles before moving up in weight.
Garcia, 24-1, has yet to hold an undisputed championship belt despite being one of the most popular fighters in boxing. Prior to his knockout of Oscar Duarte in December 2023, Garcia suffered the first loss of his career to Gervonta Davis by seventh-round TKO.
