Devin Haney is confident he will bounce back from his loss to Ryan Garcia and come back even “higher” than before. It’s a tall order for former two-division world champion Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) because he looked awful, getting beaten by Ryan last April.
This loss for Haney showed that he lacks the chin, power and talent to hang with the best at 140. Although Haney has captured titles in two weight classes, his victories came against George Kambosos Jr. and Regis Prograis. He had not fought talented fighters to win his titles.
In order for Haney to rise “higher” than before, he needs to start racking up quality non-controversial wins and not using size as a tool. He has a reputation for being a weight bully, so he should move to 147 or 154.
Haney, 25, has not said what direction he will take to get back to the levels he was fighting at before his 12-round decision loss to Garcia on April 20. It is believed that Haney will be forced to move up to 147 because he quickly surpassed the light welterweight division after only two fights.
Promoter Eddie Hearn advises Haney to do a tune-up because he believes his career could be ruined if he comes up against a good opponent and suffers another loss.
Haney’s PPV Numbers:
- 500,000: Ryan Garcia
- 55,000: Regis Prograis
- 150,000: Vasily Lomachenko
Hearn points out that the problem with Haney getting a tuneup is his inflated purse requirements. Devin’s past PPV numbers aren’t good enough for him to be counted on to bring in revenue against a tune-up level opponent. He would need to fight someone good.
Haney probably wanted a lot of money that wouldn’t be there for a tune-up without His Excellency Turki Alalshikh stepping in to pay untold millions for a simple confidence booster. If Turki isn’t going to help, Haney would be forced to fight someone good on PPV, and Hearn thinks that could end badly for him.
“I wanted to be the best. So, nothing changed. Just a little adversity. That’s just part of it. Every great one has faced adversity. I don’t care who you are,” Devin Haney told All The Smoke Fight channeltalking about where he is, coming off a loss to Ryan Garcia.
“The world might see me fall, but I’m going to rise even higher than before,” Haney said.
Unfortunately, Haney is not “great” because he has never beaten anyone to prove that he deserves that label. His best win is a controversial decision over Lomachenko in May 2023, in a fight that many boxing fans saw him lose.
Even with Haney’s massive size and youth advantage over Lomachenko, he looked to lose that fight. The Nevada judges saved Haney with his scoring. In reality, Haney seemed to lose 9-3.
Without Haney being protected by the dangerous sharks in the 147-lb and 154-lb divisions, his career as a major player will soon be over. His performance against Ryan showed he couldn’t take a punch and lacked the power to compete against good opposition.
If Haney is hired by one of the shrewd promoters, who carefully guides him through the dangerous waters at welterweight and junior middleweight, he may find success. But he won’t beat any of the talented fighters in those weight classes.
You can’t throw Haney with Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, Vergil Ortiz Jr., Sebastian Fundora, or Tim Tszyu and expect him to win. Haney would be fodder for those predators at 147 and 154. His career would be over.
Haney needs someone like Eddie Hearn to maneuver him like Edgar Berlanga for a big cash out against someone above his paycheck.
Hearn took the talentless Berlanga, made him look golden by feeding him two cans of tomatoes from the UK, and then parlayed those empty wins into a mega-million dollar fight against Canelo Alvarez. Hearn can do it with Haney too. It’s sneaky and unfair to the fans, but it’s possible.
