SUMMARY
- Devin Haney claimed Ryan Garcia disrespected his religion and now Haney is going to fight for all Muslims.
- Garcia refuted the claims made by Haney.
Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia are set to face each other in the boxing ring on April 20, 2024. There has been a lot of friction between the pair and now they are finally going to settle in the ring. The DAZN PPV was recently announced, and a controversy is already brewing among the fighters.
Haney, who is a Muslim, believed Garcia disrespected his religion. During his appearance on The MMA Hour, Haney announced that he would fight for his religion.
The WBC super lightweight champion said, “He [Ryan Garcia] said some stuff about my religion that he cannot come back from…He knows what he said, he knows who he said it to…Now I gotta make an example out of him. This is bigger than me, this is for Allah, this is for all the Muslims around the world. You spoke about my religion, you spoke down on my religion, so now I’m gonna make an example out of you.”
Devin Haney says Ryan Garcia disrespected his religion behind the scenes:
“It’s personal… I have to make an example out of him. This is for all the Muslims around the world.”
(via @arielhelwani) pic.twitter.com/g2ppFTrwWP
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) February 26, 2024
Further, Haney claimed there was a middleman who informed him about what Garcia said. However, the 25-year-old American refused to reveal who the middleman was and what was said by Garcia.
Ryan Garcia refuted Devin Haney’s claims about him disrespecting religion
In the same episode, Garcia also made an appearance. Ariel Helwani asked Garcia about the claims made by Haney. KingRy was quick to refute the claims. Garcia said, “He’s an idiot… I never disrespected his religion!”
In an extremely defensive stance, Garcia claimed he would never disrespect any religion. A follower of Christ, Garcia was unaware Muslims do not celebrate Christmas. “I said Merry Christmas, he took that as disrespect,” claimed Garcia.
Ryan Garcia shuts down Devin Haney’s claim: “He’s an idiot. I would never disrespect his religion!” pic.twitter.com/FjVmKn1VsV
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) February 26, 2024
KingRy further claimed he had proof that that was all he said in the DMs. Garcia refuted the involvement of a middleman and said he meant no disrespect in his wish.
Fans were left unimpressed as Garcia and Haney involved religion in their beef
Fans were left to decide whose story was true and who was lying. However, what they concluded was that both fighters were trying to use religion to promote the fight. Fans were left unimpressed with such a low tactic. One fan wrote, “Don’t let it be about religion but professionalism.”
Another fan wrote, “Trying to use Christian vs Muslim to sell a fight is Nasty work @Realdevinhaney.” One more fan wrote, “Willing to say/do anything to sell this fight.”
Meanwhile, one fan was completely unconvinced with Haney’s words. They wrote, “This is for all the muslims is cap. Your tryna use religion to gain a fanbase. Build organically.”
Originally, the fight was set to take place in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 20, 2024. However, the fight venue was changed to Barclays Center in New York.
Devin Haney will now face Ryan Garcia at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on April 20, Oscar De La Hoya announced.
Las Vegas was previously announced as the fight location. pic.twitter.com/1zDrNDi9J9
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) February 22, 2024
Garcia (24-1) was not on board with the idea of fighting in New York but Haney (31-0) had no issues. Moreover, Oscar de la Hoya explained that many champions have fought in New York and it is the place where global champions are created. Also, according to ABC News, Oscar claimed that Canelo Alvarez’s next fight is set for May in Las Vegas. That might cause a downfall in ticket sales for their April event.