Do not be fooled by the claims from Ryan Garcia and Oscar De La Hoya that a Devin Haney rematch will never happen.

The Ring has confirmed that talks are very much in place for a second act. An exact timeframe for the planned fight was not specified, nor were the involved parties willing to comment, on or off the record.

Haney (31-0, 15 KOs; 1 No-Contest) is The Ring’s No. 1 rated junior welterweight contender. Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs; 1 NC) is not in The Ring’s top ten at any weight.

A rematch was never really in the cards given the controversy and legal ramifications surrounding their first fight. Garcia initially claimed a majority decision in their April 20 meeting at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Despite the win, Garcia was not eligible to claim Haney’s WBC 140-pound title since he was more than three pounds over the limit.

Garcia was later revealed to have tested positive for Ostarine in multiple tests between Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) and the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC). An investigation conducted by the NYSAC resulted in the verdict being changed to a No-Contest and Garcia receiving a backdated one-year suspension.

Haney subsequently filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, alleging battery, fraud and breach of contract.

The case is still ongoing, though the two sides were separately able to find common ground while in London surrounding the annual Ring Awards. Both parties spoke directly with Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and the new owner of The Ring and its components who has worked feverishly to load up his group’s 2025 boxing schedule.

Among the targeted bouts is Haney-Garcia II, which is now back in play.

The development comes despite public comments made by Garcia and De La Hoya, whose Golden Boy Promotions represents the Victorville, California-bred boxer. De La Hoya claimed a rematch was unnecessary since the first fight was so dominant, while Garcia flexed on his star status and claimed that Haney needs him more than the opposite is true.

As previously revealed by Cynthia Conte of The Best Women Boxing Show, Period (BWBSP), Haney will agree to either drop or at least suspend his complaint against Garcia. A condition from the former two-division champ called for Garcia to commit to VADA testing, though The Ring has yet to confirm whether that demand was met or is even still in place.

All events run thus far by Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season group include random drug testing as contracted through VADA.

Neither has fought since their April 20 meeting, nor does Haney still hold the WBC 140-pound title. The former RING/undisputed lightweight champion vacated his junior welterweight belt in lieu of an undesirable mandatory title defense against Spain’s Sandor Martin (42-3, 15 KOs).

Garcia’s suspension with NYSAC forbids any other state commission under the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) to grant him a license to fight. He attempted to enter an exhibition last New Year’s Eve in Japan, but was forced to withdraw due to a wrist injury.

The general timeframe for a Haney-Garcia rematch would rely on Garcia being cleared to fight in the U.S. ESPN.com’s Mike Coppinger suggested on Wednesday—citing sources—that it would likely take place in the second half of the year.