Devin Haney and his father face assault charges after incident at Madison Square Garden
The undisputed former lightweight champion, Devin Haney, and his father are preparing for a court date on April 6th, after being arrested and charged with assault in New York earlier this year. The charges stem from their alleged involvement in a public fight at Madison Square Garden.
According to court documents, Haney, 27, and his father, Bill Haney, 55, were arrested on February 1 and each charged with second-degree assault, a misdemeanor. The charges relate to an incident that occurred on January 30, where Haney and several members of his family were involved in an altercation with welterweight boxer Delante “Tiger” Johnson.
The fight was captured on video from multiple angles, including a live broadcast on DAZN, where Haney was making a media appearance before an event featuring Teofimo López Jr. and Shakur Stevenson. Haney and Johnson had a long-standing online dispute before the physical confrontation in January.
The incident occurred around 4 p.m. ET, when “two known individuals” hit a 27-year-old man several times before fleeing. The victim suffered bruises and “pain in the face and body”, being hospitalized in stable condition.
Johnson’s manager confirmed that Johnson was the person assaulted.
That same night, Haney downplayed the incident on his social media, posting: “NY is cold… I have to go turn myself in to jail in a few hours #Freemeeee”.
Haney and his father, who is also his trainer, were arraigned in New York Criminal Court on February 18, both pleaded not guilty.
