Devin Haney is back in training for his first fight against a still-to-be-determined opponent since April. No date has been confirmed.
His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s Invitation
His Excellency Turki Alalshikh says he’s waiting for him in Riyadh, and he could end up on the December 21st undercard of Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk.
Former two-division world champion Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) wants to fight in December, so that card makes sense if he’s to fight in Riyadh that month. For Haney to be in one of Turki’s events, he will have to fight someone good because Turki believes in providing value to the fans by giving them quality.
Assuming this is Haney’s debut at 147, one of these contenders would be an excellent option for December:
– Karen Chukadzhian
– Alexis Rocha
– Roiman Villa
– Gabriel Valenzuela
Chukadzhian (24-2, 13 KOs) would be a good option for Haney because he’s not a big puncher, allowing fans to compare his performance against him to Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis. Last year, Boots labored to a 12-round unanimous decision against Chukadzhian in January. Ennis could barely lay a glove on the Ukrainian and didn’t receive much praise afterward.
Haney, 25, is coming off a no-contest against Ryan Garcia on April 20th in Brooklyn, New York. Initially, it was a 12-round majority decision loss for Haney.
The fight was later changed to a no-contest on June 20th by the New York State Athletic Commission after it was learned that Ryan had tested positive for the banned substance Ostarine.
Learning From The Past
The fight showed that Haney needed to stick with his typical defensive style because he was not cut out to go to war with his opposition. He’d looked good against Regis Prograis, Vasily Lomachenko, and George Kambosos Jr., fighting smart.
Haney’s punch resistance probably won’t improve fighting at 147. So, he’s focused on boxing, moving, and staying away from risky exchanges like the ones that got him hurt against Ryan Garcia.
Fans on social media are lighting into Haney today, calling him a crybaby for pushing to have his loss to Ryan Garcia erased from his record.
For the love of them millions.. ain’t laying down!
— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) August 14, 2024
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