Devin Haney’s One Sickening Nightmare That Changed His Life

The unforgettable one-night disaster that changed the fate of his boxing career Devin Haney after losing to Ryan Garcia. Ahead of his April 20 fight against Ryan Garcia, Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) was considered one of the best in the world – a former undisputed lightweight champion who will be making his first defense of the WBC 130-pound lightweight world title.

The drama began when Ryan Garcia, who spent most of the promotion campaign looking more interested in his social media status than preparing for the fight, came in three kilograms over the junior welterweight limit. But on fight night, the hard-hitting Mexican-American shocked the boxing world.
dropping Haney three times en route to a unanimous decision victory.

Garcia’s moment of glory was quickly overshadowed when he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. The result of the fight was changed to a No Contest. However, Haney’s name has yet to reappear on the list of contenders, his reputation still tarnished by what happened that fateful night.

So what’s a 25-year-old to do? To find out, BoxingScene spoke to three of the world’s best trainers, the highly respected Stephen “Breadman” Edwards, trainer to Caleb Plant and Julian Williams, among others; Bob Santos, the Sports Illustrated and Ring Magazine World’s Best Trainer; and the 2002 BWAA World’s Best Trainer, James “Buddy” McGirt.

”Devin Haney is a great fighter, a great athlete, in great shape. He’s been getting tougher and tougher. It’s hard to say about the Garcia fight because of all the extra circumstances surrounding it. I don’t know if it’s on an even playing field or not. So I don’t really have a view on that fight,” Edwards said.

Santos, meanwhile, sees Haney as a great fighter who became an undisputed world champion at a very young age. ”Haney is a great fighter and what he has achieved at his age is something that not many people do in this sport. I thought he showed great spirit against Ryan Garcia. I was surprised by the fight because he was the favorite to win. It would have been one thing if he had lost, but with the knockdowns and the way he was hurt, I think we were all pretty surprised,” he said.

”You have a situation where Garcia is not making weight. Plus, he tested positive, and whether he volunteered or not, you are responsible for everything that goes into your body. So, it’s a bad situation for everyone involved,” he continued.

McGirt said Haney’s performance needed to be tweaked a little bit after the first loss. ”I didn’t watch the fight; I just saw the highlights. But I think he just needs to make a few adjustments, nothing major. And I think he’ll be fine,” McGirt said.

”No, I think, in boxing or any sport, sometimes you need something like that to help you adjust, so that when you move on and you are faced with that situation again, you know how to deal with it and overcome it.”

(aww)