Devin Haney Announces March Return: “I’m Back!”

Devin Haney revealed today that he will be “back” in action in March after sitting out for 11 months. Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) isn’t saying who his opponent will be, but it won’t be Ryan Garcia. His suspension expires in April.

Whoever picks Haney will test his chin. They will try to follow Garcia’s blueprint, hoping to duplicate his success and not get sued.

March return

Fans want to see Haney fight either Garcia or one of the top 140-pounders, such as Alberto Puello, Teofimo Lopez, Sandor Martin and Rolly Romero. Devin is unlikely to fight any of those guys because he’s been out of the ring for too long, and he needs to tap into it. He should, but it’s hard to predict what his father, Bill Haney, will want to do.

With the beating Haney took against Kingry in his three-stop loss, he needs to take it slow by fighting a weak puncher before facing someone with power.

Haney wasted nearly a year of his career after losing a 12-round majority decision to Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) on April 20 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Devin subsequently sued Ryan for testing positive for the PED Ostarine. The lawsuit is still pending.

It’s going to be interesting to see who Haney picks, because if it’s just an average fighter, he won’t get an enormous payday unless Turki Al-Shiekh chooses to put him on one of his cards. There are plenty of decent fringe contenders that Devin can fight at 140 and 135, which would be ideal for him.

Haney has looked thin in practice photos, suggesting he may consider moving back down to 135 to make life easier. He has less to worry about fighting at lightweight than at light welterweight or 147.

For a tune-up, George Kambosos Jr. would be ideal if Devin hadn’t already beaten the ‘Emperor’ twice. He would be no threat to his chin and box him for 12 one-sided rounds.

March.. I’m back

— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) January 4, 2025