Devin Haney will return to the ring in January for his first fight since his debacle with Ryan Garcia last April.
Bill Haney has confirmed that his son, Devin (31-0, 15 KOs), will fight in January, but he’s not saying who it will be against. He had been considering December for the former two-division world champion Haney’s return, but he felt he needed additional time because it was too close.
Haney’s Return
Some believe that Haney has been stewing on his massacre loss to Ryan, replaying in his mind and troubled by what happened 227 days ago on that night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Haney vs. Ryan Punch Stats
Garcia: 106 of 386 for a 27% connect rate
Haney: 87 of 586 for 15%
Predictably, Devin’s opponent will be a light puncher and likely a lower-level fighter to ensure he doesn’t get hurt again. Promoter Eddie Hearn says he wants Haney to get a tune-up level opponent to ensure he’s okay before facing a tough test.
There are many questions about whether Devin, 26, is mentally and physically able to return from his grueling fight against heavy puncher Ryan on April 20th. Haney was dropped three times by Ryan in that fight. The fight could have and arguably should have been stopped in that round.
Haney initially lost that fight by a 12-round majority decision, but the New York State Athletic Commission later erased the defeat due to Ryan’s positive test for the banned PED Ostarine. The New York Commission overturned Haney’s loss, but the damage had been done. The public still saw what Ryan had done to Haney, and many people no longer viewed him in the same light as they had before.
January Return
“I’m thinking January. I was thinking December, but that’s way too close. So, we’re thinking January. We’re going to get in there soon, though,” said Bill Haney to VLADTV when asked when Devin Haney will be fighting next.
“We like to do an eight, ten, to twelve-week camp. I depends. With the stuff that I know about PEDS, you need a longer window to detect to prevent a fighter from benefiting from a cycling, being on that bicycle.
“When the times when the phone wasn’t ringing, we knew that was the storm, and the character of the man isn’t judged by how he’s in the storm, but how he’s dealt with the storm,” said Bill.
Haney is still young enough to come back from his ordeal against Ryan, but it’s important that he stays busy. It’s not a sign that it’s take him this long to consider returning to the ring, because that’s not going to help him improve.
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