Devin Haney wants Ryan Garcia rematch after Benn knockout

Haney was surprised by Garcia's quick finish against Conor Benn

Devin Haney admitted that Ryan Garcia’s quick victory over Conor Benn took him by surprise, but at the same time made it clear that he would like a rematch against the WBC welterweight world champion.

Ryan Garcia sent his opponent to the canvas with a powerful right hand and shortly afterward forced the referee to stop the fight in the second round. Although Devin Haney had expected that Ryan Garcia’s speed might cause problems for Conor Benn, he certainly hadn’t anticipated such a quick finish.

“I was surprised. Ryan is naturally explosive, and Conor didn’t have that much. I think he was trying to be too aggressive, and he wasn’t defensively sound enough”

Devin Haney said in a post-fight interview.

His assessment was very accurate. Conor Benn rushed forward without controlling the distance or protecting himself from Ryan Garcia’s hard punches. As soon as Ryan Garcia finds an opening for a hard left or right, it gets tough for his opponents. That’s why this usually needs to be prevented as much as possible, and shouldn’t be invited by such mistakes.

After his assessment of the fight, however, another topic came up. Devin Haney was asked who Ryan Garcia’s next opponent would be. To that, he simply replied:

“We’re going to do it”

That clearly points to a rematch.

However, Ryan Garcia already has other names in mind, such as Teofimo Lopez. That means Devin Haney would have to apply significantly more pressure to really convince the current champion. A rematch between the two would be very interesting, since they have a fascinating backstory. However, it’s questionable whether Ryan Garcia would even agree to this fight. What do you think, who will be Ryan Garcia’s next opponent?

I actually don’t think a rematch will really happen. Too much happened in their last bout, and I think Ryan Garcia would be happy to turn it down. But it’s also possible he still has a score to settle and might agree to it after all.