Eddie Hearn has explained why he believes Devin Haney taking legal action against Ryan Garcia is a hugely significant moment for boxing.
Haney filed a lawsuit against Garcia last week for “battery, fraud and unjust enrichment” surrounding their infamous fight earlier this year, which Hearn was ringside for in Brooklyn.
‘King Ry’ heavily dropped his former amateur rival three times on the way to what was a shock decision victory, however news would emerge that he had tested positive for a banned substance.
And Hearn explained to Boxing Social that his former charge Haney going down the legal route could act as a “deterrent”, if Garcia is to suffer a significant financial penalty.
“Win, lose or draw in court, I think this is actually a good thing to deter fighters from using performance-enhancing drugs, because the penalty is not strict enough.
“Like Ryan Garcia is a good example where he’s got a year’s ban. By the time you have six months off and a little break, you’re going back into camp.
“But the deterrent of losing tens of millions of dollars is much worse.
“So now that there’s a potential legal action, against someone that takes performance-enhancing drugs, I actually think it’s a pivotal moment for the sport in that respect.
“And I’ve spoken to a lot of lawyers about it, it’s certainly not clear cut either way, but they believe the case has a lot of merit and it’s going to be interesting to see how it plays out.”
“𝗜 𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬 𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗟𝗘 𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧… 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗗? 𝗜 𝗪𝗢𝗡” 🍻
🥊 @RyanGarcia reacts to his win over Devin Haney 👀
Full Interview ➡️ https://t.co/lts8iU3Kgz#Boxing #HaneyGarcia #RyanGarcia pic.twitter.com/T7m8GkcvMA
— Pro Boxing Fans (@ProBoxingFans) April 21, 2024
Haney has not boxed since the controversial April 20 bout, which was retrospectively ruled a No Contest.
His lawyers claim that he suffered physical injuries and reputational damage against Garcia that will be responsible for millions of dollars in lost earnings.
It remains unclear when ‘The Dream’, who was an undefeated two-weight world champion before taking on Garcia, will be back in the ring.
