Devin Haney at the Crossroads of His Career: Rematch or Decline?
Devin Haney’s career, former undisputed lightweight champion, is at a crucial point. At 26 years old, Haney has achieved more than most boxers his age, but an unexpected setback could define his future in the sport. 19 months ago, Ryan Garcia’s left hook changed Haney’s upward trajectory. In a fight that ended in a “no contest” due to a failed drug test by Garcia, Haney hit the canvas three times. Despite not suffering an official defeat, his critics questioned his position as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers. This Saturday, Haney will face Brian Norman, another young man with a dangerous left hook, seeking to close the chapter on what happened in April 2024 at the Barclays Center. “This fight is very important because they say he is my kryptonite,” Haney declared. “A victory means everything to me. I will be champion again and it will put me back on top.” Haney’s performance in the last two years, including the fight with Garcia and an unconvincing victory over Jose Ramirez, has affected his reputation. Beating Norman, ranked as the best welterweight by some media outlets, could divert attention from the past and return Haney to the top of another division. However, a defeat could be devastating for his career, especially before reaching his prime. The impact of Haney receiving punches from Garcia is what everyone remembers. Now, stepping into the ring against a boxer who could have more power than Garcia, it presents itself as an act of bravery or a mistake.“Honestly, I think he’s in trouble. However, if Haney takes care of this guy, then everyone will get back on the Haney train. He knows what he’s doing. I just don’t know if I agree with it.”
Sergio Mora, former world champion and commentator
Haney, an undefeated and decorated boxer, should be the target. Instead, he enjoys the role of hunter. “I practice what I preach,” said Haney. “All I want is to fight the best boxers in the world. Everyone I’ve challenged, once they say they want to fight me, the fight happens… Many of these boxers don’t do what I do. They challenge each other to get attention and show off. I challenge boxers to make fights happen.” Whenever his image seemed to decline, Haney responded with a performance that silenced the skeptics. Whether it was the two beatings he gave Kambosos in Australia in 2022 or the victory over former champion Regis Prograis the following year, Haney has found a way to silence his detractors. “I don’t know and I don’t care,” Haney said about the criticism he receives. “All I want to do is keep beating the best boxers in the world. I’ve accomplished a lot, I’m still young but I’ve been at the top for a while and I plan to be here for a long time. They can say what they want, and I’ll keep doing what I do.” However, for every successful fight against Kambosos and Prograis, there’s a fight like the one against García or Lomachenko that again questions his pound-for-pound status and makes people wonder if Haney is as good as he claims to be. “People love to hate me,” Haney said in an interview in 2023. “I don’t know why. Now I embrace it. What can I do? It’s me.”“He’s not the first boxer to win a vacant title, but he received more criticism than anyone for it. But look what he did afterwards. He went to George Kambosos’ backyard and beat him, twice. Then he fought and beat Lomachenko in a close fight against a great pound-for-pound boxer. Sometimes, people hate to see winners, and he just makes winning.”
Sergio Mora, former world champion and commentator
Shawn Porter, former welterweight champion, believes that the way Haney projects himself to the public is not consistent with his performances in the ring.“In recent years, he has followed a similar trajectory to Mayweather’s, fighting champion after champion,” Mora said, referring to Haney’s fights against Joseph “JoJo” Diaz, Jorge Linares, and Yuriorkis Gamboa. “Like Mayweather, he is also more of a boxer than a puncher. He may not be blessed with power, but he is willing to face power punchers. Sometimes, people hate to see guys who can box at a supreme level. But if you’re going to fight that style and you’re going to live that life and be flashy, prepare for criticism because people can’t wait to see you lose.”
Sergio Mora, former world champion and commentator
Haney was named part of the “Four Kings” of this era, along with Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Teofimo López, and García (with Shakur Stevenson also). Their collective rise paralleled the legendary quartet of Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns, and Roberto Durán, whose Hall of Fame careers overlapped during their physical primes in the 1980s. Unfortunately, the four of this era have not lived up to the motif like their predecessors, who fought each other over the years. To date, Haney has only fought García. Furthermore, the “Four Kings” had distinctive qualities that made them stand out. For all that Haney has achieved, there is no description that can be attributed to the young champion. It’s not the defensive wizard that Stevenson is, nor does he possess the debilitating power of Davis. He doesn’t have the reflexes and brilliant counterpunching of López, and he can’t match García’s hand speed. He’s “straight and direct, no special effects,” as Mayweather would say. A jack-of-all-trades and master of none. However, what doesn’t necessarily stand out at first glance is exactly what makes Haney unique.“The criticism comes because it presents itself as one thing and people are questioning it and demanding that it be what it claims to be,” Porter said. “It’s flashy and presents itself as impeccable, but there are still many questions that Devin Haney hasn’t answered.”
Shawn Porter, former welterweight champion
Haney was the favorite to beat Garcia, but he fell victim to Garcia’s mind games before the fight. Although his opponent didn’t make weight and was later caught for PEDs, Haney wasn’t prepared for the one thing everyone knew Garcia was going to throw: the left hook.“His greatest quality was his instincts, but that may be something that is no longer there,” said Porter, who trained with Haney years ago. “His secret power was that he instinctively knew what to throw, when to throw it, and how to move. He lost a lot of that when he fought the wrong fight against Garcia. His ego took over and he forgot who he was. He needs to find that again when he fights Norman.”
Shawn Porter, former welterweight champion
Mora believes Haney is still “shaken” by the fight with Garcia and is “afraid of being hit,” a terrible combination before a fight with a big puncher like Norman. But that danger is what Haney said excites him about his next fight. Haney is not one to shy away from challenges, and the fight with Garcia taught him a valuable lesson about himself.“Not knowing how to prepare properly became his worst enemy, along with his ego,” Porter said. “He has all these tools and instinctively knows what to do. But, what happens when those instincts don’t work? What happens when the basic game plan doesn’t work or when he goes against his instincts and fights outside the game plan? Greatness is about going beyond, and I don’t know if he has it in himself.”
Shawn Porter, former welterweight champion
“You don’t know if a boxer can take a punch until he actually gets hit and you don’t know a boxer’s heart until it’s tested,” Haney said. “And when my chin and my heart were tested, I showed up. I got up off the floor, not once, not twice, but three times. And I responded. I didn’t run. I fought like a warrior, and if I was going out that night, I was going out on my shield.”
Devin Haney
Porter praises Haney for getting in the ring with a dangerous champion who is not very well known when he could have opted for a more accessible opponent. But taking a more accessible rival is simply not the way Haney operates. Instead of running from danger, he prefers to face it head-on and see what it has to offer.“What you don’t want to do is give people more fuel to criticize you,” Mora said. “If Norman shakes it up but wins, there will still be questions. It has to be great, almost perfect.”
Sergio Mora, former world champion and commentator
And if they don’t, he will keep seeking greatness to prove them wrong, because that is simply the way Devin Haney is.“A lot of people fear the unknown,” Haney said. “What if I get hit? What am I going to do? Well, the world knows what I’m going to do. I know what I’m going to do. It’s like a weight off my shoulders knowing that I’m able to get up when I’m on the ground and knowing that I have a chin. The way I beat Brian Norman, I think a lot of people will have to give me credit for it.”
Devin Haney
