Jose Ramirez’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, says Devin Haney is just a broken “shell” of his former self with no confidence, and completely broken as a fighter going into next Friday’s fight against Ramirez on DAZN PPV at Times Square in New York City.
(Credit: Melina Pizano/Matchroom)
Must-Win Pressure
De La Hoya believes the Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) that existed in the past is gone, destroyed by a beating he took from Ryan Garcia. All that’s left is the stuttering, exchanging, mouthing empty words that have been pumped into him by the team. He got his unbeaten record back from the New York Commission, but he knows he lost, and so do the fans.
It’s a must-win for Haney, who has to defeat the former WBC and WBO 140-lb champion Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs) to get the rematch with Ryan Garcia in October. That’s the condition. Turki Alalshikh has set it up so that both fighters must win their contests next Friday for them to meet in October.
Ryan has a comparably easy chip shot against Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero in the main event on the Times Square Garcia, while Devin gets the second bill. That probably doesn’t make him too pleased because he was probably thinking he should be in the main event now that the New York Commission reinstated his unbeaten record, but Turki understands marketing.
He knows the way fans see things, and they’d never gone for the idea of Haney being in the main event and former conqueror Ryan in the chief support.
Garcia’s Impact
“I think Ramirez is going to beat Devin Haney, and I’ll tell you why. Devin Haney is coming off a loss, not just a loss, a devastating loss. It depleted him. It depleted his confidence,” said promoter Oscar De La Hoya to Fight Hub TV, predicting a victory for Jose Ramirez over a broken Devin Haney. “It depleted the way he thinks, the way he acts, and the way he moves. It was heartbreaking.
“It’s going to be a good fight, but Ramirez is out for a mission just like Devin Haney. I’m sure he’s out on a mission to get his career back on track, but I really do think we’re seeing a shell of Devin Haney.”
De La Hoya is right. Haney has already shown that his defeat to Ryan has shattered his self-confidence, and we know that because he stopped fighting for an entire year. He would have never done that before that loss. The old Haney believed in fighting frequently, chalking up wins, and making money hand over fist. For him to stop fighting after the way Ryan destroyed him, it can only mean that he’s lost confidence in himself.
“Then his father, throwing fuel on the fire, talking nonsense, convinced him to sue us. It’s a bad look, and the one that’s taking it the hardest is Devin Haney. I’m surprised Haney still has his father as his manager. I thought he had already fired him,” said De La Hoya.
“He’s still your father. Don’t worry, but I thought he would fire him and get somebody who knows what they’re doing.”