Garcia recently told fans that he had been offered $20 million to $25 million to fight Jake Paul. Garcia said he rejected the offer in principle. He says he doesn’t want to sabotage his championship ambitions and believes a world championship is more important than a lucrative crossover event.

“My speed will dominate. I’ll be able to catch him,” Garcia said on social media while discussing Paul. “They offered me $20 million or $25 and I turned it down. I wanted this world title. In my heart, I wanted to fight for the world title. It would drive me crazy.”

This explanation could not be confirmed after contact with Haney.

“This guy just laid there with a serious look on his face,” Haney wrote. X. “No, Oscar says you can’t.”

Haney’s response showed that the decision was never Garcia’s. In his view, De La Hoya blocked the fight, possibly to protect contractual obligations or long-term plans, while Garcia later repackaged the outcome as a personal choice rooted in the purity of competition.

The back and forth doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Haney and Garcia remained in contact after a controversial fight in April 2024, which Garcia won by majority decision. Haney has since disputed the outcome and continued to push for a rematch, while Garcia has largely gone public with the move.

Garcia is now scheduled to face Mario Barrios on February 21, 2026, for the WBC welterweight title. That fight confirmed Garcia’s statement that he was focused on the title. At the same time, Haney’s criticism highlights a recurring pattern in boxing, in which fighters talk about independence while promoters quietly wield influence.

Whether Jake Paul’s offer was actually declined, or just unavailable, isn’t as important as optics anymore. Garcia said he chose inheritance over money. Haney punctured that image with one sentence, reminding fans that big decisions are often made behind closed doors, not on social media.

Obviously, this competition is still very fierce.