Devin Haney leaked an old video clip on X, which showed him beating former IBF light welterweight champion Liam Paro in sparring, which was pretty one-sided.
This move by Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) appears to be a transparent attempt to show that he is a superior fighter to Richardson Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs), who is receiving a lot of favorable attention from the boxing world after his victory over Paro (25-1, 15 KOs) on Saturday night in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Haney’s indirect challenge
By showing that he was more skilled than Paro, Haney could create interest in a potential fight between him and Hitchins. If that happens, it probably has to be at 147 without Hitchins’ IBF title on the line due to the 10lb rehydration rule.
The timing of Haney posting the old sparring video of him dominating Paro could be seen as a way of calling indirectly Richardson without doing so. It would be better if Haney challenged him directly, but this is a clever way to create interest in a fight between them, showing the fans that he accomplished the fight that Hitchins fought last Saturday.
Considering that the recently beaten Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) and his father, Bill Haney, are interested in a lucrative rematch with Ryan Garcia in 2025, the video sparring leak may be a economic way for Devin to stay in the headlines without risking his skin getting in the ring. It looks like Haney is trying to show people how talented he is.
Knowing how much money Dev can make fighting Garcia in a rematch, it would be crazy to take a risky fight against Hitchins and lose like Paro did last weekend. Richardson’s speed, power and punch accuracy will be huge problems for Haney.
Hitchins outclassed Paro, beating him by a 12-round split decision in a DAZN headliner on promoter Eddie Hearn’s card. The performance of the Richardson, native of Brooklyn, New York, saw him take the #1 spot in the 140 lb. class.
Old files.. me & Paro… I think he will be Champion again one day. pic.twitter.com/eTw5iFqvBx
– Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) December 9, 2024
