Devin Haney’s clash with Ryan Garcia was a shock and a drama both inside and outside the ring. Now, as the former undisputed lightweight champion looks to put that night in Brooklyn behind him, a return to the big stage seems imminent – albeit one that will likely take place away from his home country.

After moving up from lightweight, Haney looked phenomenal in his debut in the 140-pound division, defeating Regis Prograis in a one-sided boxing workout to capture the WBC super lightweight world title. His second fight in that weight class didn’t go to plan, however, as Ryan Garcia beat him from the ground up, knocking the champion down for the first, second and third times of his career, ending Haney’s 31-fight winning streak, but only temporarily, en route to an astonishing majority decision victory.

It was subsequently revealed that Garcia had tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug Ostarine on both the day of the weigh-in and the day of the fight, which ultimately voided the fight and restored Haney’s undefeated record.

In June, Haney decided to give up his WBC super lightweight title, which was not at stake in his fight against Garcia after the Californian failed to make the minimum weight, citing the need for a break from boxing after everything that had happened.

But just a few weeks after this decision, Haney is obviously suffering from itchy knuckles in his social mediaHe and Saudi boxing king Turki Al-Alshikh spoke of a ring return to Riyadh.

I would say the comeback… but I never left… see you soon bro 🤲🏽🔜 https://t.co/ugIfkiEdwA

– Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) 14 August 2024

DH: “The game is not the same anymore. It’s time for me to come back.”

TA: “Deliver the job, champion.”