Chris Algieri says Devin Haney’s image is being torn apart on X over his decision to sue Ryan Garcia for battery, fraud, and unjust enrichment in the aftermath of their fight on April 20th.
Haney’s decision to initiate a lawsuit in reaction to his defeat against Ryan and his positive PED test for Ostarine has caused a lot of criticism from fans on social media.
Algieri feels that until Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) gets back in the ring and gets some good wins under his belt, he will continue to be ridiculed. It would have been better for Haney to wait on the lawsuit until he got a couple of wins over elite-level fighters. However, at this point, you have to wonder who Haney is capable of beating.
If Haney is fighting at welterweight against fighters his own size, it’s questionable whether he would be a solid favorite against any of the good fighters in that division. Obviously, Haney would stand no chance against Jaron Ennis, but he would be up against it fighting Brian Norman Jr. as well. Those two are probably the best fighters at 147.
“Devin Haney will never be able to beat me. We can fight 100 times, and I’ll beat him 100 times,” said Ryan Garcia on social media. “He came in heavier than me, which is crazy like he does in every fight. He just couldn’t take the left hook.”
The way the fight played out between Ryan and Haney last April, it would require the perfect game plan for Devin to win the rematch. Even then, Haney’s punch resistance and his inability to stop Ryan’s left hook will continue to be a problem.
“I’ll see you guys in the ring soon, and when I do, it’s going to be spectacular like I always do,” said Garcia.
“The image of Devin Haney is getting ripped through. If you’re watching Twitter, it’s getting dragged through the mud, Haney’s image. This is not really helping his image, but the fight did hurt his earning potential,” said Chris Algieri to Probox TV.
I think Haney and his dad, Bill, may have misjudged the fans’ reaction to their decision to sue Ryan. Maybe they thought fans would cheer them on with support, but they got it wrong because they’re now seen as weak and unable to accept a loss.
“We saw that in the purse bid for his very next fight [Sandor Martin], where literally no promoters wanted it and went to a very low purse bid [$2.4 million] for what he was used to making based on the loss, which has now been stricken from the record.
“So, his earning potential has been hurt. His image, I don’t think he’s getting that out of the gutter anytime soon until he gets back in the ring and wins some big fights. I don’t think this is going to make a difference in terms of the sport,” said Algieri.
Haney should have already returned to the ring to continue his career because he’s not suspended and missing out. He had an opportunity to defend his former WBC light welterweight title against Sandor Martin but chose not to. Even though it would have been a big pay cut for Haney, at least he could have gotten a win under his belt to show that he’s not the fighter that Ryan defeated.
“Until there’s a unified commission that actually has teeth that can make sure to overlook it in the right way, I think this is going to continue,” said Algieri.
If there is going to be a unified commission one of these days, they need to address not only PEDs but also fighters that rehydate huge amounts of weight. That’s equally a problem, unfair and dangerous.
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