Devin Haney revealed today that he will “return” to action in March after sitting out 11 months. Haney (31-0, 15 KO) isn’t saying who his opponent will be, but it won’t be Ryan Garcia. His suspension expires in April.
Whoever Haney picks will test his chin. They will try to follow Garcia’s plan, hoping to repeat his success and not get sued.
Return in March
Fans want to see Haney either fight Garcia or some of the top 140-pounders, such as Albert Puell, Teofimo Lopez, Sandor Martin and Rolly Romero. Devin is unlikely to fight any of those guys because he has been out of the ring for too long and needs to get better. He should do it, but it’s hard to predict what his father, Bill Haney, will want to do.
With the win Haney suffered against Kingry in his three-knockdown loss, he has to take it easy on a weak puncher before taking on someone powerful.
Haney lost nearly a year of his career after losing a 12-round majority decision to Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) on April 20 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Devin subsequently sued Ryan for testing positive for the PED Ostarine. The lawsuit is still pending.
It will be interesting to see who Haney picks because if it’s just an average fighter, he won’t get an enormous payday unless Turki Al-Shiekh decides to put him on one of his cards. There are a lot of decent contenders on the edge, Devin can fight at 140 and 135, which would be ideal for him.
Haney looked skinny in training pictures, suggesting he might consider moving back down to 135 to make life easier. There is less to worry about fighting at lightweight than at welterweight or 147.
For alignment, George Kambosos Jr. would have been ideal if Devin had not already defeated the ‘Little Emperor’ twice. He wouldn’t be a threat to his chin and would box him for 12 one-sided rounds.
March.. I’m back
— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) January 4, 2025
