Eddie Hearn has shared his concerns about how Devin Haney is handling the aftermath of his bout with Ryan Garcia. Haney, who was undefeated before the fight, initially suffered what seemed to be his first professional loss in a 12-round majority decision to Garcia during a WBC junior-welterweight title defense. However, the result was later overturned to a no contest after Garcia tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug Ostarine, as detected by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association.
The New York State Athletic Commission handed Garcia a one-year ban following the positive test, despite his claims of innocence and his assertion that the drug entered his system through a tainted supplement. Haney, who took significant physical punishment in the fight, including being knocked down in the seventh, tenth, and eleventh rounds, has not yet announced any plans to return to the ring.
"I think he's taking it rough, honestly. It’s a tough one," Hearn said in an interview with All The Smoke Fight. He emphasized the unfair criticism Haney has faced, noting, "People are going, ‘You're making excuses’. It's like, woah. Hang on a minute. I lost to the guy. He came in heavy. He was positive for PEDS on the night. Like, I think people should actually feel sorry for Devin."
Despite the disappointing performance, Hearn pointed out that Haney demonstrated resilience by enduring the fight under such challenging circumstances. "Regardless of the performance, which was poor, he went through a lot of that," Hearn noted, adding that Haney's struggle in the ring revealed aspects of his character that were previously unknown, despite his well-recognized skills and boxing IQ.
Garcia, on his part, continues to maintain that his positive test was due to contamination and not an intentional effort to cheat. Hearn, while acknowledging Garcia's explanation, stated, "He says he never intentionally took any drug but it was contamination. But if it wasn't contamination, I believe he's probably taken that to try and help him make weight for the fight."
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Image Credit: Sky Sports