Has Devin Haney been damaged by those three knockdowns he suffered in the infamous no-contest against the performance-enhanced Ryan Garcia, or is he the same, unaffected version of the former undisputed lightweight and unbeaten 140lbs champion?
The curiosity over Haney’s career is more compelling than who he fights next.
But after vacating his WBC 140lbs belt he’s saying he’s ready to fight again after the events of April 20 in Brooklyn, when Garcia rode those three knockdowns to a victory by decision that was ultimately washed away by a New York State Athletic Commission ruling. They also fined Garcia and suspended him for one year.
“‘Bout time I come back,” Haney wrote on X after watching Saturday’s WBC interim 154lbs title fight between Vergil Ortiz and Serhii Bohachuk in Las Vegas. “Waiting for you in Riyadh,” wrote back Saudi Arabia’s influential Turki Alalshikh.
On ProBox TV’s “Top Stories” analysts Paulie Malignaggi and Chris Algieri discussed Haney’s return, the opportunities of the reshaped welterweight division, and how the fortunes of 147lbs champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis and Ortiz Jr have been changed.
Speaking of fortune the 25-year-old Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) clearly has his eyes set on that by flirting with Alalshikh, who has three cards planned in Saudi Arabia before February.
“We knew Devin Haney would come back and make the biggest business moves he can seek,” Malignaggi said. “He took some unfair flak from the Ryan Garcia fight… there will be curiosity over Devin Haney.”
Haney rejected a $1.6m purse to fight his mandatory opponent Sandor Martin following a purse bid won by Top Rank, and he may yet move on to the new landscape of the welterweight division that counts Ennis, new WBO champion Brian Norman Jr, Eimantas Stanionis – WBA – and Mario Barrios Jr – WBC – as belt-wearers following the exit to junior-middleweight by former undisputed champion Terence Crawford.
“I question if this is Devin Haney getting itchy knuckles or if this is seeing all the money he can make [with Alalshikh],” Algieri said. “You’ve got to get in while the money lasts. You don’t know how long it will be there.”
Malignaggi said Haney proved he’s used to big-money fights by walking away from the belt and the Martin fight.
Whether he chooses welterweight or 140lbs, the “gossip and opinion” over seeing “how he looks” will drive intrigue over Haney’s next bout, Malignaggi said.
Given Haney’s in need of “a little rebuild,” don’t expect him to fight 140lbs champion Teofimo Lopez, said Algieri.
If the decision is made to move to welterweight, Haney will join the new crop of champions also seeking to prove themselves.
“Some might not have superstar potential, but guys like Barrios and Norman have had moments of brilliance,” Malignaggi said. Algieri added: “Lots of good fights can be made if these guys get together.”
The welterweight division of just a few years ago included Crawford, three-belt champion Errol Spence Jr, two-division champion Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter, but all have moved on.
The analysts said Crawford’s exit compares to when Haney left the lightweight division; the void was quickly filled by gifted new champions like Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Shakur Stevenson.
“It’s a transition phase – let’s see how it plays out,” Algieri said. “We need a tournament [that Alalshikh is reportedly considering] to create one king.”
The man most expect to be that king is Philadelphia’s Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs), but he has struggled to find a big fight.
“The big guys [Crawford and Errol Spence] tiptoed around him and never let him into the club,” Malignaggi said. “He’s still thriving off potential.”
Ennis is in need of a breakthrough bout like Ortiz’s majority decision triumph over Bohachuk on Saturday at the Mandalay Bay, where Ortiz got off the canvas twice and swept the final three rounds on all three scorecards to claim a 114-112 triumph on two cards.
“The moral of this story is that fortunes can change quickly,” Malignaggi said. “Now [Ortiz is] the talk of the town with that decision and Vergil’s in the weight class with more potential [with Crawford, unified champion Sebastian Fundora, former champion Tim Tszyu and Spence].
“Ennis could use that big fight soon. You’ve got to get the big fights, then perform and impress. Vergil made it happen, and now he’s moving on.”
If Haney can prove he’s fully recovered, perhaps he’s the fighter who can give Ennis that major bout he so badly needs