Devin Haney will return to the ring in January for his first fight since his debacle with Ryan Garcia last April.
Bill Haney has confirmed that his son, Devin (31-0, 15 KOs), will fight in January, but he is not saying who it will be against. He considered December for former two-division world champion Haney’s return, but he felt he needed additional time because it was too close.
Haney’s return
Some believe that Haney was stove on his carnage loss to Ryan, replaying in his mind and troubled by what happened 227 days ago on that night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Haney vs. Ryan Punch Stats
Garcia: 106 of 386 for a 27% connection rate
Haney: 87 of 586 for 15%
Predictably, Devin’s opponent will be a light puncher and likely a lower level fighter to ensure he doesn’t get hurt again. Promoter Eddie Hearn says he wants Haney to get a level opponent to ensure he is okay before facing a tough test.
There are many questions about whether Devin, 26, is mentally and physically able to bounce back from his grueling fight against heavy puncher Ryan on April 20. Haney was dropped three times in that fight by Ryan. The fight probably could and should have been stopped in that round.
Haney initially lost that fight by a 12-round majority decision, but the New York State Athletic Commission later expunged the loss due to Ryan’s positive test for the banned PED Ostarine. The New York commission reversed Haney’s loss, but the damage was done. The public still saw what Ryan had done to Haney, and many people no longer viewed him in the same light as before.
January return
“I’m thinking about January. I thought about December, but it’s way too close. So, we think of January. We’re going to get in there soon, though,” said Bill Haney FLADTV when asked when Devin Haney will fight next.
“We like to do an eight, ten to twelve week camp. I’m hanging up. With the stuff I know about PEDS, you need a longer window to detect to prevent a fighter from taking advantage of a bike ride, on that bike.
“When the times when the phone didn’t ring, we knew it was the storm, and a man’s character is not judged by how he is in the storm, but how he handles the storm,” Bill said. .
Haney is still young enough to bounce back from his ordeal against Ryan, but it’s important that he stays busy. It’s not a sign that it’s taking him that long to consider returning to the ring because it’s not going to help him improve.
