Devin Haney needs a low-level puncher to face again at one of the two shows in Riyadh before the end of the year.
Haney needs to rebuild quickly to set up a lucrative rematch against Ryan Garcia for a mega-fight in the summer of 2025. Ideally, a rematch between him and Ryan will bring in a lot of money if Haney can get two or three wins before next summer.
Targeting a title for a paper
Dethroning the weakest link in the welterweight division, WBC champion Mario Barrios, would be perfect for Haney. That would make Haney a champion of sorts. Granted, he would be considered a champion on paper, but he would still have a belt, which would make a rematch between him and Ryan even more important.
Because of the problems Haney had with Ryan Garcia’s hard punches last April, it’s important that he faces a non-puncher when he returns to the ring. He can’t afford another outing like this if he wants to get back to the top.
It is expected that the 25-year-old Haney will move up to 147 because it has become too difficult for him to make 140. Given what happened to him against Ryan, he will have to ease into the division slowly as he moves up to welterweight.
Haney lost the fight to Ryan Garcia. However, the New York State Athletic Commission overturned the result, declared the fight void, and expunged Devin’s record due to Ryan’s positive PED test.
Choosing the right opponents
Light striking options for Haney’s next fight:
- Michael McKinson
- Mario Barrios
- David Papot
- Gabriel Maestre
- Paddy Donovan
These are not household names to the US boxing public, but given Haney’s problems in his last fight with Ryan’s power punches, he shouldn’t be facing any big-name opponent in the 147 division because they hit too hard. They would likely finish what Ryan started last April, and no commission would overturn the loss this time.
“Mckinson before the end of the year. Barrios or Stanionis in the first quarter of the year and then a huge showdown in the summer of 2025. Maybe in Los Angeles or maybe in New York against Ryan Garcia,” Chris Mannix said on his YouTube page about a path for Devin Haney to return to the top.
British welterweight Mckinson (26-1, 4 KOs) was knocked out in nine rounds by Vergil Ortiz Jr. in 2022. Since that fight, 30-year-old McKinson has won his last four fights against unknown opponents, bouncing back from the loss.
“If Devin wins these fights 3-0, he’ll be back on his feet. He’ll get back everything he lost in the Garcia fight,” Mannix said.
It’s a big challenge for Haney to beat McKinson, Mario Barrios and Eimantas Stanionis. I think he’ll be OK against McKinson, but Barrios and Stanionis will be tough fights for Haney because those guys are pretty powerful.
“There are some high-profile events in Riyadh where Devin Haney can come back. The question is, who against? I think it’s pretty clear that Devin Haney is done at 140. He’s vacated his title. He’s vacated his (WBC) title. He’s not going to compete there. 147 is the next step, but I’m not quite sure who to put him against for his first fight back,” Mannix said.
“Obviously you look for a weaker puncher. Devin just took a beating in that fight against Ryan Garcia. You want him to bounce back against a weaker puncher. Is there a logical opponent he can bounce back against?” Mannix said.
