Devin Haney is already a star, now he still needs the super fights،
SAN FRANCISCO – Devin Haney has heard it all despite his boxing accomplishments at just 25 years old, including becoming undisputed lightweight champion and scoring a thrilling victory over an all-time great, Vasiliy Lomachenko.
He receives recognition even if it is often accompanied by a “but”. Many fans believed Lomachenko deserved this decision. There were fighters, including Regis Prograis, who said Haney lacked punching power and would be exposed at 140 pounds. Haney also didn't have the chin to withstand his new weight.
What will they say now? After all, Haney didn't just beat Prograis on Saturday at Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors. He dropped him, dismantled him and at times made Prograis look downright idiotic during a masterful performance to become a two-division champion in his junior welterweight debut.
“I’m a complete fighter, but they’ll always say something,” Haney told ESPN after the fight. “First they said I couldn't sell it. I just sold it, 16,000. They said I didn't have electricity. I went in there and left it fall earlier, I hurt him several times. What will they say now?”
Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) is undoubtedly one of the best fighters in the sport. He entered the fight ranked No. 7 by ESPN pound-for-pound and is sure to be on that list after this performance.
And his star power? On the way up too. Promoter Eddie Hearn remembers telling Haney that he expected to sell about 7,000 tickets. They more than doubled that amount with a pro-Haney crowd in attendance to see the San Francisco native deliver the best performance of his career.
He's already an attraction and now needs dance partners who are other stars to continue growing his profile. Lomachenko is a recognizable name in boxing. Prograis is also, to a lesser extent.
The real stars? There are a lot of them at 140 pounds. Teofimo Lopez Jr. Ryan Garcia. And then there's Gervonta “Tank” Davis, who competed at 140 pounds in June 2021 but is currently campaigning at 135.
“Tank doesn’t want to fight because if he really wanted to fight, then he would try to build the fight instead of trying to knock it down,” Haney said. “…If he really wanted to fight me, he would. It's a big fight and it's the best fight for boxing. But all he did was denigrate the fight. Like I said many times they say everything but 'Fight.'”
With five extra pounds to work with in his new division, Haney said he feels better than ever rather than exhausted and exhausted. He also sees 147 pounds in his future. Maybe even next year.
But the biggest fights are currently happening at 140, where he now holds a title. And what about Lopez, who has an impressive performance of his own, a solid loss to Josh Taylor in June?
“I want the biggest and best fights to happen,” Haney said. “If we can make the fight happen, that makes sense. Then we can make the fight happen. Like I said, I wanted the biggest fights for the most money .”
And then there's Garcia, who returned to 140 last week with a knockout victory over Oscar Duarte. Garcia looked vulnerable during the fight but once again showed off his speed and power.
“For years and years, we've been pursuing a fight against Ryan Garcia,” Hearn said. “Nobody wanted to fight Devin Haney and everyone used the excuse: 'It's not a big enough fight. Nobody knows who he is.' …When you're too good, the only way to attract people is to get paid to beat. He sold out in a town that hasn't had boxing in two decades.”
The last time major boxing took place in San Francisco? In 2001, when Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao competed in separate fights on an HBO doubleheader. This was before both fighters became transcendent stars.
Haney has the same chance now. With his blend of charisma, elite boxing skills and drive to be big, Haney simply has to continue what he's doing and do it against the sport's biggest attractions as well.
