Did the three knockdowns he suffered in the infamous no-contest against the enhanced Ryan Garcia damage Devin Haney, or is he the same, untouched version of the former undisputed lightweight and undefeated 140-pound champion?
The curiosity about Haney’s career is greater than the question of who he will fight next.
But after relinquishing his WBC middleweight belt, he says he’s ready to fight again following the events of April 20 in Brooklyn, when Garcia used three knockdowns to earn a decision victory that was ultimately stripped by a ruling by the New York State Athletic Commission, which also fined Garcia and handed him a one-year suspension.
“It’s time for me to come back,” Haney wrote on X after watching the WBC interim middleweight title fight between Vergil Ortiz and Serhii Bohachuk in Las Vegas on Saturday. “Waiting for you in Riyadh,” Saudi Arabia’s influential Turki Alalshikh wrote back.
On ProBox TV’s “Top Stories,” analysts Paulie Malignaggi and Chris Algieri discussed Haney’s return, the chances of the newly formed welterweight division and how the fortunes of 147-pound champions Jaron “Boots” Ennis and Ortiz Jr. have changed.
Speaking of luck: The 25-year-old Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) is obviously after that luck and is flirting with Alalshikh, who has three fights scheduled in Saudi Arabia before February.
“We knew Devin Haney was going to come back and make the biggest business moves he can make,” Malignaggi said. “He took some unfair criticism in the fight with Ryan Garcia… Devin Haney is going to be curious.”
Haney turned down a $1.6 million purse to fight mandatory opponent Sandor Martin after Top Rank won a purse offer, and he could still move into the new landscape of the welterweight division, which, in addition to Ennis, includes new WBO champion Brian Norman Jr., Eimantas Stanionis – WBA – and Mario Barrios Jr. – WBC – belt holders after former undisputed champion Terence Crawford moved to junior middleweight.
“I wonder if Devin Haney is getting nervous now or if he sees how much money he can make (with Alalshikh),” Algieri said. “You have to get in while the money lasts. You never know how long it’s going to be there.”
Malignaggi said Haney proved he was used to big-money fights by giving up the belt and fighting Martin.
Whether he chooses the welterweight or 140-pound division, the “smells and opinions” about “what he looks like” will create excitement for Haney’s next fight, Malignaggi said.
Because Haney needs “a little rebuilding,” he is not expected to face 140-pound champion Teofimo Lopez, Algieri said.
If the decision is made to move to welterweight, Haney will join the new generation of champions who are also trying to prove themselves.
“Some may not have the potential to be superstars, but guys like Barrios and Norman have had moments of brilliance,” Malignaggi said. Algieri added: “When these guys come together, a lot of good fights can happen.”
A few years ago, the welterweight division included Crawford, three-time belt holder Errol Spence Jr., two-time champion Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter, but they have all moved on.
Analysts said Crawford’s departure was similar to Haney’s departure from the lightweight division; the void was quickly filled by talented new champions such as Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Shakur Stevenson.
“It’s a transitional phase – let’s see how it goes,” Algieri said. “We need a tournament (which Alalshikh is reportedly considering) to create a king.”
The man most expect to be that king is Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) of Philadelphia, but he has struggled to find a big fight.
“The big boys (Crawford and Errol Spence) tiptoed around him and never let him into the club,” Malignaggi said. “He’s still fulfilling his potential.”
Ennis needs a breakthrough like Ortiz’s win over Bohachuk on Saturday at Mandalay Bay, in which Ortiz came off the mat twice and won the final three rounds on all three scorecards to earn a 114-112 victory 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 this decision and Vergil is in a 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 have to get the big fights, then perform and impress. Virgil made it possible and now he’s moving on.”
If Haney can prove that he is fully recovered, he may be the fighter that can give Ennis the big fight he so desperately needs.
