Shakur Stevenson says Devin Haney is “way better” than former WBC and WBO light welterweight champion Jose Ramirez. The only thing Stevenson questions is whether Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) is “mentally’ the same after his loss to Ryan Garcia on April 20th last year.
Devin faces Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs) in the co-feature on the May 2nd ‘Fatal Fury’ event, live on DAZN PPV at Times Square in New York City.
The Mental Question
Haney was knocked down three times, repeatedly hurt, and his face looked noticeably swollen on the right side where Kingry had been hitting him with left hook all night. Devin’s aura is gone from that 12-round majority decision loss.
The fact that the former two-division world champion Haney chose to sit out of the ring for 13 months without fighting suggests that his self-confidence isn’t there. Before his loss to Garcia, Haney was a go-getter, wanting to fight as often as possible.
“Devin is way better than Jose [Ramirez]. No disrespect to Jose. Devin is way better than him,” said Shakur Stevenson to the media about his belief that Devin Haney will be too good for former WBC and WBO light welterweight champion Jose Ramirez on May 2nd at Times Square in New York. “It’s just a question of his [Haney’s] mental. We don’t know where his mental is at. If he’s mentally, [he wins].”
Shakur is talking about Haney having a technical and youth advantage over Ramirez. But in terms of power, toughness, experience, and activity, Ramirez has the edge. He hits harder and has been active. He didn’t take a year off, licking his mental wounds after his loss to Arnold Barboza Jr. last year.
Rolly’s Chances
“Ryan,” said Shakur, predicting a victory for Ryan Garcia over Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero at the Fatal Fury card. “Rolly’s not that good. Ryan is a better boxer. Ryan’s a good fighter. I don’t look at Ryan the way other people look at him.
“I could see a knockout. I could see it going a little bit longer [than six rounds]. Rolly is going to try hard. I could see it going longer than that. Yeah, I think he’s been the same fighter his whole career,” said Shakur when asked if Rolly is the same fighter since his sixth-round knockout loss against Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis on May 28, 2022. “I don’t think he’s been no better or no worse.”
