Haney: Crossroads in his career? Analysis of the dangerous fight with Norman

Devin Haney at the Crossroads: Triumph or Descent?

Devin Haney’s career, former undisputed lightweight champion, is at a crucial point. At 26 years old, Haney has already achieved significant milestones, but a recent setback has tested his status in boxing. 19 months ago, a left hook from Ryan Garcia altered his trajectory. Haney suffered three knockdowns in a fight that was subsequently declared a “no decision” due to a failed drug test by Garcia. Despite not having suffered an official defeat, the criticism about his position as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers was immediate. Next Saturday, Haney will face Brian Norman, another young fighter with a dangerous left hook. This fight represents an opportunity to close the chapter on what happened in April 2024 at the Barclays Center.

“This fight is super important because this is a guy they say is my kryptonite,” Haney stated. “They say he has a left hook, that it’s powerful, that he’s big, that he has it all. So, a victory means everything to me. I will be champion again and it will put me back on top, where I once was.”

Devin Haney

The current situation of Haney is due, in part, to his performance in the last two years, including the fight against Garcia and a less convincing victory against Jose Ramirez in May. Beating Norman, ranked number one in welterweight, could divert attention from the past and put Haney back on top of another division. However, a defeat could be devastating for his career, even before reaching his prime. The annulment of the defeat against Garcia to a “no decision” after Garcia’s positive test for Ostarine, does not erase the image of Haney being surpassed by his rival’s left hook. Now, facing a boxer with a potentially more powerful punch than Garcia’s, could be an act of bravery or a strategic error. Former world champion and commentator Sergio Mora commented:

“Honestly, I think he’s in trouble. However, if Haney takes care of this type, then everyone will get back on the Haney train. He knows what he’s doing. I just don’t know if I agree with that.”

Sergio Mora

Post Title

Over the years, Haney has faced constant criticism, regardless of his performances in the ring or who he challenges. He was nicknamed “email champion” when, after Vasiliy Lomachenko chose not to fight him, Haney was promoted to full WBC champion in 2019. Mora considers this criticism unjustified.

“He’s not the first boxer to win a vacant title, but he received more criticism than anyone,” Mora said. “But look what he did after that. He went to George Kambosos’ backyard and beat him, twice. Then he fought and beat Lomachenko in a close fight against a pound-for-pound great. Sometimes, people hate to see winners, and he just does that: win.”

Sergio Mora

Haney, as an undefeated and decorated boxer, should be the hunted. However, he prefers the role of the hunter.

“I practice what I preach,” Haney said. “All I want is to fight the best boxers in the world. Everyone I’ve challenged, once they said they wanted to fight me, the fight happened… Many of these boxers don’t do what I do. They challenge each other to get attention and show off. I challenge boxers so that the fights happen.”

Devin Haney

Each time his image seemed to decline, Haney responded with performances that silenced critics. Whether it was the beatings of Kambosos in Australia in 2022 or the victory over Regis Prograis the following year, Haney has demonstrated his ability to silence detractors.

“I don’t know and I don’t care,” Haney said about the criticism. “All I want is to keep beating the best boxers in the world. I’ve achieved 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.”

Devin Haney

But for every outstanding fight, like the ones mentioned, there is a bout like the one between García or Lomachenko, which again questions his pound-for-pound position and raises doubts about his true worth.

“People love to hate me,” Haney said in an interview in 2023. “I don’t know why. I accept it now. What can I do? It’s me.”

Devin Haney

Haney is bold and flashy outside the ring. Although he is a technically sound boxer, he is not always exciting inside the ring, which has drawn comparisons to Floyd Mayweather. However, that style depends heavily on winning and remaining undefeated. Mora commented on this trajectory similar to Mayweather:

“In recent years, he has followed a trajectory similar to Mayweather’s by fighting champion after champion,” Mora said, referring to Haney’s fights against Joseph “JoJo” Díaz, 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 take on punchers. Sometimes, people don’t like to see guys who can box at a supreme level. But if you’re going to fight with that style and live that life and be flashy, prepare for criticism because people can’t wait to see you lose.”

Sergio Mora

Former welterweight champion Shawn Porter believes Haney’s public image doesn’t match his performances in the ring.

“Criticism arises because it presents itself as one thing and people demand it to 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

Haney was named part of the “Four Kings” of this era, along with Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Teofimo López, and García (with Shakur Stevenson also in contention). Their collective rise drew a parallel with the legendary quartet of Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns, and Roberto Durán, whose careers coincided at their peak in the 1980s. Unfortunately, the current “Four Kings” have not lived up to their predecessors, who faced each other over the years. To date, Haney has only fought García. Furthermore, the “Four Kings” had distinctive qualities that made them stand out. Despite all that Haney has achieved, there is no clear description that defines him. He is not the defensive wizard that Stevenson is, nor does he possess the devastating power of Davis. He doesn’t have the reflexes and brilliant counterpunching of López, and he can’t match García’s hand speed. He is “straight and direct, with 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 precisely what makes Haney unique. Porter, who trained with Haney years ago, noted:

“His greatest quality was his instincts, but that may no longer be present. 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

Haney was the favorite to beat Garcia, but he fell victim to mind games. Despite the fact that his opponent didn’t make weight and was later sanctioned for doping, Haney wasn’t prepared for what everyone knew Garcia would throw: the left hook.

“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 him.”

Shawn Porter

Mora believes Haney is still “shaken” by the fight with Garcia and “is afraid of getting hit,” a terrible combination before a fight with a big hitter like Norman. But that danger is what, according to Haney, excites him about his next fight. Haney doesn’t shy away from challenges, and the fight with Garcia taught him a valuable lesson about himself.

“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

Mora and Porter disagree on whether Saturday’s fight is a turning point for Haney. Mora doesn’t believe a loss will erase everything Haney has achieved, while Porter believes that how Haney decides to fight Norman will determine how he will be perceived in the future. Both agree that, although a victory would take the weight off his shoulders, the risk may outweigh the reward.

“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

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 rival. But choosing an easier opponent simply isn’t how Haney operates. Instead of running from danger, he prefers to face it head-on and see what it has to offer.

“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 can get up when I fall and knowing that I have a chin. The way I beat Brian Norman, I think a lot of people are going to have to give me credit for that.”

Devin Haney

And if they don’t, he will keep pursuing greatness to prove them wrong, because that’s simply the way Devin Haney is.