Devin Haney revealed today that he will return to action in March after an 11-month layoff. 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 March
Fans want to see Haney either fight Garcia or one of the top 140 pounders such as Alberto Puello, Teofimo Lopez, Sandor Martin and Rolly Romero. It is unlikely that Devin will fight any of these guys because he has been out of the ring for too long and needs to tune up. He should do that, but it’s hard to predict what his father, Bill Haney, will want to do.
With the loss Haney scored against Kingry in his three knockdown loss, he needs to take it slow by fighting a weak puncher before taking on someone with power.
Haney took nearly a year off 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 later sued Ryan for testing positive for the PED Ostarine. The lawsuit is still out.
It will be interesting to see who Haney picks because if he is just an average fighter, he won’t get a huge payday unless Turki Al-Shiekh chooses to put him on one of his cards. There are plenty of decent edge contenders that Devin can fight at 140 and 135, which would be ideal for him.
Haney looked thin in practice, suggesting he might consider moving back down to 135 to make life easier. He has less to worry about fighting at lightweight than at light middleweight or 147.
For a tune, George Campos Jr. would be perfect if Devin hadn’t already beaten the “Little Emperor” twice. He wouldn’t be a threat to his chin and he’d gouge him for 12 one-sided rounds.
March.. I’m back
— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) January 4, 2025
