Devin Haney has been off the roster since his loss to Ryan Garcia on April 20, and it looks like he’s still mentally recovering from being humiliated.
The King’s Psyche
Former two-division world champion Devin (31-0, 15 KOs) had several opportunities to fight but turned down each one, seemingly unworthy. Does Haney still consider himself a king?
Does he think he is too good for Teofimo Lopez, Sandor Martin and Liam Paro? This rejection of good, serviceable fights makes no sense, especially with his need to redeem himself in the eyes of fans.
Haney made a fortune from his fight with Ryan, and surprisingly, he returned to the ring.
Stay busy Options for Devin
– Teofimo Lopez
– Mario Barrios
– Conor Benn
– Jose ‘Rayo’ Velazquez
– Brian Norman Jr
His father, Bill Haney, talked about the move to the Hamptons in New York, where the CEOs and Hollywood crowd live. To be able to afford to live among the super-rich, Haney has to stay busy, fighting three to four times a year to raise enough cash to buy an expensive mansion in this ultra-rich part of New York.
Losing to Ryan shouldn’t be a big deal for him, as there are plenty of high-paying fights out there to keep him busy until Kingry’s one-year suspension ends in April 2025. In an interview last week, Ryan said he was ready for a rematch with Haney. It could be much bigger if Haney gets a win under his belt.
Teofimo Lopez revealed to the media that he offered Haney $2.4 million with a 55-45 split of the PPV money, and he refused. Unfortunately, this is the first guy Haney has turned down, and it makes you wonder if that loss to Ryan ruined him mentally.
The fight against Ryan was a winnable one for Haney if he made a slight adjustment to take away his left hook. If he had neutralized that weapon, it would have been an easy victory for him.
Was at 26?
The former lightweight king went from being considered one of the top fighters in the sport to being washed up overnight. Haney, 26, could have changed that perception and shown the fans that his loss to Ryan was just an off night, a blip on the radar screen.
In the first round, Haney was caught by a big left hook from Ryan that staggered him, and he never recovered from that shot. Ryan was able to hurt Haney repeatedly with his short left hooks for the rest of the fight, but he was unable to make the necessary adjustments to avoid being hit with that punch.
“You have to ask him,” Ryan Garcia told the media last week when asked if a rematch with Devin Hany would happen. “Turn it back the same way. Just a little higher weight class. I want a big fight. Anyone who will bring a great event. 140 or 147. That’s kind of what I’m looking at.”
