Garcia recently told followers that he was offered between $20 million and $25 million to fight Jake Paul. According to Garcia, he rejected the proposal on principle. He said he does not want to derail his title ambitions and believes a world championship is more important than a lucrative crossover event.
“My speed would take over. I would be able to get him,” Garcia said on social media when discussing Paul. “They offered me $20 million or $25, and I said no. I want this world title. In my heart I wanted to fight for a world title. That would have driven me crazy.”
That explanation did not survive contact with Haney.
“This guy was just laying there with a straight face,” Haney wrote X. “No, Oscar said you can’t.”
Haney’s response suggests the decision was never Garcia’s to make. In his opinion, De La Hoya blocked the fight, likely to protect contractual obligations or long-term plans, while Garcia later repackaged the outcome as a personal choice rooted in competitive purity.
The back and forth does not happen in a vacuum. Haney and Garcia remain tied after their controversial April 2024 fight, which Garcia won by majority decision. Haney has since disputed the result and continued to push for a rematch, while Garcia has largely moved on publicly.
Garcia is now scheduled to fight Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title on February 21, 2026. That fight lends credence to Garcia’s claim that he is focused on championships. At the same time, Haney’s criticism highlights a recurring pattern in boxing, where fighters talk about independence while promoters quietly hold the leverage.
Whether the Jake Paul offer was actually rejected or simply unavailable doesn’t matter as much as the optics. Garcia presented himself as preferring legacy over money. Haney punctured that image in a single sentence, reminding fans how often big decisions are made behind closed doors rather than on social media timelines.
The rivalry is clearly still alive and well.
