On April 20th WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney is set to take on Ryan Garcia. This will be Haney’s first defense of his WBC title and his second big fight in two months. This will also be Haney’s second fight at 140 pounds, and it is a mega fight.
Devin ‘The Dream’ Haney has been something that has often been looked down upon in the boxing community. Whether it be for his lack of knockout power or his “boring style’. Haney has, for whatever reason, always received more criticism than the likes of Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson.
However, it does now seem that the American is starting to finally get his respect amongst the boxing fan community. I look at why Haney deserves respect and why he is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world today.
Devin Haney’s Resume
Being one of the best fighters in the world and having a strong resume come hand in hand. Devin Haney, at 22, fought Jorge Linares, who at the time was still a threat in the lightweight division. Despite being wobbled in the fight Haney claimed victory over the Venezuelan and showed his heart.
After a few fights, Haney embarked on a journey to Australia to battle unified champion George Kambosos. Going to any fighter’s backyard is a daunting task let alone to a fighter who was able to dismantle Teofimo Lopez. However, this was no problem for Haney who dominated Kambosos from start to finish.
Due to the rematch clause inserted into the contract, Haney had to fight Kambosos again, in Australia. If there was ever an example of De Ja Vu in boxing, then this was it. The American replicated the exact same performance and dominated Kambosos once again. After his performances against George Kambosos, Haney then took on a little-known fighter by the name of Vasiliy Lomachenko.
There was one point when the Ukrainian was seen as the best in the world, and one of the greatest of all time. At the time, Loma may have lost to Teofimo Lopez, but he was still seen as one of the best. In his fight against Lomachenko, Haney had to battle to get the decision win. Despite many thinking that Loma won the fight, Haney put in a solid performance and showed a lot of heart in the contest.
After conquering one of the best pure boxers the sport has seen, Haney then went up in weight to take on Regis Prograis. Much like most of his fights, Devin Haney dominated Prograis and even dropped the 35-year-old.
In his last four fights, Haney has fought a former unified champion, a pound-for-pound great and a recognized world champion in a higher weight class. These four fights alone should be enough to put him up there on the pound-for-pound list.
Performances
Haney’s performances stand out because he effortlessly makes his fights look easy. You could have given him twenty-four rounds in his fights against George Kambosos. Whilst it was a tough fight against Lomachenko, Haney was still able to comfortably bag the opening rounds. Towards the end of the fight, Haney showed a lot of resilience and showed he was able to win a slugfest.
Against Regis Prograis, Devin Haney dominated and even displayed some signs of knockout power. Barring the Loma fight Haney has been dominant in every single one of his bouts. To dominate any fight at this level is impressive but to do it in multiple bouts is remarkable.
The ‘Dream’ has shown his boxing acumen on several occasions and is getting better.
Attitude
One thing that no one can deny about Devin Haney, is that he will fight anyone. In thirty-one fights, Haney has fought Lomachenko, Jorge Linares, George Kambosos and is about to fight Ryan Garcia. This has been while he has called out Gervonta Davis, and has actively made an offer to fight Shakur Stevenson.
In modern-day boxing, it seems as if everyone is afraid to fight each other. It took an eternity to get the Errol Spence and Terence Crawford fight over the line. We have seen the issues that have surrounded the Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk fight. However, when it comes to Haney’s fights there is never any drama.
When the 25-year-old was offered the undisputed fight against Kambosos, he took the chance without any hesitation. The over 15-hour flight didn’t bother the American. The fact that he did this twice showed how determined Haney was to make these fights.
In the past fighters such as Floyd Mayweather have often made it clear that they would only fight in one location. When it comes to Devin ‘The Dream’ Haney he does not care about where or who he fights. The American only wants to be the best.
If you combine his attitude with his resume and his dominance over opponents, then there is doubt that we are watching a future all-time great.
Image from Devin Haney’s Instagram