There is a lot of commotion amok in the lighter-weight classes at the moment. Who will fight whom? Well, that’s a valid question fighters have grappled with for a while now. However, a fresh dubiety has emerged. Who will not fight whom? In a fresh set of attacks, Bill Haney, father and trainer of Devin Haney, took digs at the fighter’s contemporaries, suggesting why they would not fight his son and each other.
Last year was monumental for ‘The Dream.’ After defeating Vasyl Lomachenko via a controversial unanimous decision in May, he went up the weight to challenge WBC super light titlist, Regis Prograis. In a stumping December showdown, the Las Vegas-based fighter snatched the title via another unanimous decision. In the wake of it, while most assumed that his route to his elite contemporaries like Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson would open up, the possibility of those fights dropped like cards. Still sour from those setbacks, the leader of his camp, his father, Bill spared no words in shading Davis and Stevenson. However, this time, he came up with something brazen.
Bill Haney and his Indirect-Direct Attacks
Senior Haney brewed some serious tea in his recent X post. Roping in the trainers of Davis, now, Abdul Wahid and ‘Sugar’ Stevenson, respectively, Bill Haney wrote, “Calvin Ford and Wally Moses are scared to death to fight Dev and they don’t want to fight each other either. Who them dummies think they fooling?.” It is interesting how until now most fans assumed that the animosity between these fighters was limited to only them. But now, with his claims, he has extended this hostility to his counterparts in the trainer leagues too.
Earlier, both Stevenson and Haney showed interest in fighting each other. However, reports later suggested that Stevenson pulled out of the confrontation, unhappy with the purse split ratios. Later, right after the Regis Prograis win, Haney called on ‘Tank’ for a fight in an instigating post on social media. While Davis did show interest in getting the bout rolling, promoter Eddie Hearn later revealed that the Baltimore-based fighter was not too keen on the fight.
Since then, another key player in his weight class, Ryan Garcia came forward to fight him. However, that too will not see the light of the day now. Why? Let’s find out.
Ryan Garcia’s fight falls through for The Dream
Right before 2023 ended, Garcia’s feeding promoter, Oscar De La Hoya was positive about getting the anticipated Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia fight happen. While both the fighters had assented to it, Garcia at a later stage pulled out. Instead of fighting ‘The Dream,’ the Californian chose Rolando Romero as his opponent. With that, Devin Haney lost another key opponent.
While the Haney clan continues to look for another opponent befitting of their star player’s potential, it becomes crucial to see where their search leads them. Haney stands at a juncture that could either take him to world domination or signal his plummet in the sport of boxing.
