Devin Haney has been off the grid since his loss to Ryan Garcia on April 20, and he still appears to be mentally recovering from being humiliated.
The King’s Psyche
Former two-division world champion Devin (31-0, 15 KOs) has had several opportunities to fight but has rejected each one, seemingly unworthy. Does Haney still view himself as a King?
Does he think he’s too good for Teofimo Lopez, Sandor Martin, and Liam Paro? These rejections of good, serviceable fights make no sense, especially with his needing to redeem himself in the eyes of fans.
Haney made a fortune from his fight with Ryan, and surprisingly, he’s returned to the ring.
Stay Busy Options for Devin
– Teofimo Lopez
– Mario Barrios
– Conor Benn
– Jose ‘Rayo’ Velazquez
– Brian Norman Jr
His dad, Bill Haney, was talking about moving to the Hamptons in New York, where the CEOs and Hollywood crowd live. To afford to live among the super-rich, Haney must stay busy, fighting three to four times a year to compile enough cash to purchase an expensive mansion in this ultra-wealthy section of New York.
It shouldn’t be a big deal for him to lose to Ryan because plenty of well-paying fights are out there to keep him busy until Kingry’s one-year suspension ends in April 2025. In an interview last week, Ryan said he’s up for a rematch with Haney. That could be much bigger if Haney gets a win under his belt.
Teofimo Lopez revealed to the media that he’d offered Haney $2.4 million with a 55-45 split of the PPV money, and he declined. Unfortunately, that’s the first guy that Haney has turned down, and it makes you wonder if that loss to Ryan mentally ruined him.
The fight against Ryan was a winnable one for Haney if he’d made a minor correction to take away his left hook. If he had neutralized that weapon, it would have been an easy win for him.
Washed Up At 26?
The former lightweight King has gone from being viewed as one of the top fighters in the sport to being seen as washed 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 got caught by a big left hook from Ryan that wobbled him, and he never recovered from that shot. Ryan was able to hurt Haney repeatedly with his short left hooks for the remainder of the fight, but he failed to make the necessary adjustments to keep from getting hit with that punch.
“You got to ask him,” said Ryan Garcia to the media last week when asked if a rematch with Devin Hany will happen. “Run it back the same way. Just a little higher weight class. I want a big fight. Anyone that will bring a big event. 140 or 147. That’s kind of what I’m looking at.”
