Devin Haney and his father have taken the right approach in their career. After Haney’s remarkable performance in the amateur circuit, they decided to rely on their own efforts rather than signing a promotional deal right away. They fought in various venues, from bars in Mexico to Shobox, to establish their reputation and brand. Eventually, their hard work paid off when Matchroom Boxing offered them a lucrative deal, which allowed them to earn more than their peers of the same age.
From a business perspective, they have yet to make a wrong move. However, despite accomplishing just as much if not more in his early career, Haney’s name appears to have been pushed down the ranks of casual boxing fans.
Ryan Garcia is the social media darling, Tank Davis is the Mayweather protege who has tapped into the urban market, Shakur Stevenson is the can’t-miss Olympic prospect, seen as the second coming of Sugar Ray Leonard, and Teofimo Lopez is the Heisman hype with a dynamite right hand.
While others argued on social media, Haney quietly went about his business and accumulated quality wins. Unfortunately, Haney had to deal with sanctioning body shenanigans and was gifted a belt via email, causing his fellow competitors to dub him the “email champion”.
It’s interesting how Haney was the email champion, but nobody was eager to fight him. Ryan Garcia was determined to fight Tank Davis, as he believed it would generate the most revenue and boost his social media presence. Unfortunately, Tank Davis wasn’t interested in fighting Haney or making an offer. Teofimo was dealing with personal issues, and Shakur Stevenson hadn’t yet transitioned to 135lbs.
However, Haney finally got a chance to prove himself. George Kambosos Jr, who had defeated Teofimo Lopez, was set to fight Vasyl Lomachenko. However, the Ukraine conflict led to Lomachenko backing out of the fight, and Kambosos didn’t want to lose his title. As a result, he offered Haney the opportunity to fight.
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The terms of the deal were heavily in favor of Kambosos, as the fight had to take place in Australia and the rematch clause mandated that the rematch also be held in Australia. Additionally, Haney was required to sign a three-fight contract with Top Rank and received less compensation.
Despite defeating Kambosos twice in convincing fashion on foreign soil, Haney did not receive the recognition he deserved as the undisputed lightweight champion. He was excluded from numerous pound-for-pound rankings, and his fighting style was criticized as being dull. Ironically, when Haney attempted to be more aggressive in response to these criticisms, he nearly suffered a knockout defeat at the hands of Jorge Linares.
If Haney were a basketball player, he would be Tim Duncan – fundamentally strong with no flashy moves. On Saturday night, he finally gets to fight one of the fighters he’s been pursuing for a long time: Lomanchenko. The real question is, if Haney wins, will he finally earn the respect he deserves? It’s difficult to say, since some people claim that Loma is too small or past his prime, but let’s be honest – nobody was saying that when he was taking down taller and longer opponents.
Devin Haney is currently taking one step towards his greater boxing journey. Similar to Floyd Mayweather, who had to work his way up and win against opponents perceived as stronger, Haney aims to establish himself as a force to be reckoned with. Boxing is a sport that requires a lot of respect, and fans can be quick to change their opinions. However, with a strong performance, Haney can prove that he is here to stay for the long haul.
