Devin Haney wants to put on a clinic to make a statement in beating Jose Ramirez in their 144-lb catchweight fight on May 2nd at Times Square in New York City.
Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) says there will be a lot of people tuning in to watch this event on DAZN PPV, and many of them will be focusing on him, wanting to see if he’s still the same fighter he was before his recent loss to Ryan Garcia on April 20th last year. Devin, 26, states that he wants to show the fans that he’s “even better” than he was in the past.
Haney’s punching power likely won’t have improved, and his punch resistance, which was never good, will still be just as much of a problem as it was years ago. He’s going to be at risk of being clipped at all times by the former WBC and WBO light welterweight champion Jose Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs), because he’s going to be loading up on his power shots, focusing on the head of Haney.
Haney’s Mission
“My main focus is beating Jose Ramirez. Not only beating him, but looking good in doing it,” said Devin Haney to Ring Magazine about his fight against Jose Ramirez on May 2nd. “The whole world will be tuning in.
“They want to see what Devin Haney shows up. I’m looking to go in there and make a statement to show the world I’m back and even better. Then, we’ll see what’s next and look at the Ryan fight and switch our focus to that fight, Right now, it starts with Jose Ramirez. He’s my main opponent right now. I’m not being sidetracked.
“I’m not taking my eyes off the prize right now. I’m keeping my eyes on the food, and right now, Jose Ramirez is my food. That’s all I care about,” said Haney.
It’s good that Haney isn’t overlooking Ramirez because with the Ryan Garcia fight on the line, he cannot assume that he will win. He can’t take this for granted. Devin said in the interview that he must win this fight against Ramirez for his rematch with Ryan to happen in October.
It’s no wonder why Haney continually tells the interviewer that he can’t take his “eyes off the prize.” He’s not kidding. Lose this fight and you can say goodbye to the mega-millions in a rematch with Garcia.
It would be interesting to know what Turki Alalshikh would have planned for Haney if he loses. Does he cut him loose or match him against the loser of the Ryan Garcia vs. Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero or Teofimo Lopez vs. Arnold Barboza Jr. fight in a loser’s bracket type of match?
If the judges had done their due diligence, Haney would be coming into this fight with a 1-2 record in his last three fights. His fight against Regis Prograis was an excellent example of his team vetting the then 36-year-old carefully.
If Haney fought Teofimo Lopez for his WBO light welterweight title, his fight with Ryan Garcia would have never happened, and he’d have likely fought in the past year instead of sitting inactive, waiting.
