Controversial boxer Ryan Garcia is back in the headlines. After his one-year boxing ban, the 26-year-old has sought a rematch against his rival Devin Haney and presented his case to the Saudi royal advisor Turki Alalshikh. And guess what: The 43-year-old minister agreed on one condition – Garcia has to pass the doping test and clear everything up from his side.

In a one-on-one interview with Charlie Parsons of The Stomping Ground, the Saudi Minister of Entertainment shared his thoughts on KingRy and mentioned his interaction with the young boxer. His Excellency Turki Alalshikh said:

“First of all, I like this guy (Ryan Garcia) and secondly, I want to have a big fight with him. He asked me to do the rematch between him and (Devin) Haney and we want to see that fight. But I’ll explain my situation to you now… I’m against drugs and everything, I said to Ryan Garcia: ‘You have to pass the test and exonerate yourself’ and I’m waiting for you and that’s fair… I’m not going to do it in Saudi Arabia, I’ll respect the suspension, but if he solves his problem, we’re ready to do something with him.”

It has been more than three months since Garcia last faced long-time rival and WBC super lightweight titleholder Devin Haney. Despite the monumental upset victory over the champion, Garcia was under pressure after testing positive for Ostarine, a banned substance. The decision was subsequently overturned and Garcia was suspended for one year by the New York State Athletic Commission.

Garcia found himself in a precarious position, with the commission imposing a heavy fine and suspension on the boxer, so he approached the Saudi minister to arrange a rematch. While His Excellency has expressed his desire to arrange the fight and admitted that he is a fan of “The Flash” and his work, he insisted that Garcia must come clean and pass doping tests for the fight to take place.

Meanwhile, Garcia is desperately trying to get a fight and recently faced boxing legend Manny Pacquiao following his exhibition match against K1 kickboxer Rukiya Anpo.

Garcia is reportedly negotiating with “PacMan” and RIZIN about an exhibition fight

Boxing icon and world champion in eight weight classes Pacquiao returned to the boxing ring a few weeks ago after a long break for an exhibition fight at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. Although the fight lasted only three rounds, the Filipino icon was toughly challenged by kickboxing champion Anpo and that motivated Garcia.

Garcia entered the ring after the fight and expressed his desire to fight in Japan, either against Anpo or Pacquiao. More importantly, Rizin CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara has no concerns about the commission standing in the way of Garcia’s return in an unsanctioned exhibition fight. According to a report from The Sun, he said:

“If this unofficial fight were to take place in Rizin, Japan, I don’t think there would be any reason for the New York State Athletic Commission to stop Ryan.”

And that’s exactly how Garcia got the ball rolling, sparked a new discussion in the martial arts world and secured his reputation.