Devin Haney filed a lawsuit against Ryan Garcia on Friday in New York seeking damages for battery, fraud and breach of contract in connection with Garcia’s doping violation after their April title fight in Brooklyn, according to court documents obtained by ESPN.
Garcia floored Haney three times in a major upset decision victory , but that result was later overturned to a no contest after Garcia tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug ostarine. The star boxer was suspended one year and fined upward of $1.2 million after he reached a settlement with the commission.
Haney seeks unspecified damages and alleged Garcia committed battery because “his contest was limited to a bout held fairly and under the rules.”
“While Devin Haney agreed to participate in a prize fight against Garcia, at no time did he agree to engage in a bout against an individual who had taken a performance-enhancing drug,” the lawsuit states.
Haney, 25, also claimed Garcia committed fraud because he “represented that he had tried to make weight and failed.” Garcia weighed 143.2 pounds for a fight contested at 140 for Haney’s WBC junior welterweight title.