Big fights don’t happen in boxing sometimes but it is rare these days, usually they do nowadays, but Ryan Garcia weighs in on this.
Garcia knows about big fights, of course.
He’s had a few of course.
Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis and so on.
The Devin Haney rematch remains a big one.
Speaking this week Garcia said:
“I would say splits, money and some of these fighters overvalue themselves sometimes or they act like they really want to fight but they really don’t — so they hide behind the promoter and say we couldn’t make the deal work when secretly I just didn’t want to step in the ring. So a lot of it’s that.”
Sometimes politics stops the fights but at the end of the day if two boxers want to make a fight happen — the fight always happens.
Always.
To go a bit further on what Garcia is saying above, also consider the following:
- Promotional splits: Rival promoters rarely work together. PBC, Top Rank, Matchroom, and Golden Boy control separate rosters
- Network conflicts: ESPN, DAZN, Amazon Prime, and PBC on Prime all want exclusives. They block rival platforms
- Money disputes: Purse splits kill fights. A-side wants 70/30 or 80/20. Beterbiev said Bivol rejected a Russia offer
- Mandatory obligations: Sanctioning bodies force low-profile mandatories. Bivol vacated the WBC title to avoid Michael Eifert
- Risk management: Undefeated fighters protect their 0. Usyk is 24-0 and has already earned generational wealth
- Sanctioning fees: Each belt costs 3% of purse. Undisputed fights need four belts. Some champions drop belts to avoid fees
- Weight disputes: Fighters disagree on catchweights. Benavidez proposed 190lbs to defend cruiserweight titles vs Bivol at 175
- Rematch clauses: Contracts lock in immediate rematches. Fury vs Usyk’s rematch clause blocked other heavyweights
- Injuries: Surgery and recovery kill momentum. Bivol had back surgery in August 2025 and was out until Q1 2026. Paul is out until mid-2026 with a broken jaw
- Career timelines: One fighter is prime, one is aging. Usyk was 39 in May 2026 after two Fury fights and Dubois
Garcia must fight Devin Haney in the rematch soon while the fight is still there for him.
It’s the biggest fight by far available to him in his entire career.
It won’t be there for long. Now is the perfect time to make the fight.
