The WBC has reinstated Devin Haney as its lightweight champion four months after declaring him “champion in recess.”
The WBC has reinstated Devin Haney as its lightweight champion.
Haney, who became titleholder when Vasiliy Lomachenko was elevated to “franchise champion” in October, shut out Alfredo Santiago in his first title defense the following month but he injured his shoulder in the process. The injury required surgery that precluded him from defending against No. 1 challenger Javier Fortuna.
Thus, the sanctioning body declared Haney “champion in recess.” The WBC then ordered Fortuna and Luke Campbell to fight for the vacant title. However, that fight never gained traction because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, Haney petitioned the WBC to reinstate him as champion. And it finally did. Haney reportedly also was given the right to make a voluntary defense.
Fortuna and Campbell are now expected to fight for the “interim” title, with the winner in line to face Haney for the full title if Haney wins his tune-up.
Devin Haney said he has ‘learned a valuable lesson’ as a result of his ‘white boy’ comment and the subsequent reaction.
Devin Haney, it appears, has grown as a person.
The unbeaten lightweight created a firestorm when he was asked during a YouTube Live session about the prospect of facing Ukrainian star Vasiliy Lomachenko and gave a response that he now regrets:
“I can tell you this: I will never lose to a white boy in my life,” said Haney, who is black. “I don’t care what nobody got to say. Listen, can’t no white boy beat me. I don’t care, on any day of the week. I fight a white boy like 10 times, I’m gonna beat him 10 times.”
A few days later he responded to criticism by saying “I’m not racist and I never will be a racist.” On Tuesday he took another, more humble step.
“Over the last couple days I’ve had time to reflect on a lot,” Haney said in a public statement. “I sincerely regret using a term that I have now learned to be derogatory to many of my fans, friends and associates.”
He went on: “I have learned a valuable lesson and I will continue to show the kind of person that I really am and will continue my quest for greatness inside and outside the ring.”
Lomachenko was scheduled to fight fellow titleholder Teofimo Lopez on May 30 but that fight was postponed indefinitely because of the coronavirus.
Haney won the WBC 135-pound title by shutting out Alfredo Santiago in October but was declared “champion in recess” when he had to have shoulder surgery and couldn’t defend against No. 1 challenger Javier Fortuna.
The WBC then ordered Fortuna and Luke Campbell to fight for the vacant title but that fight never happened because of the pandemic. Meanwhile, Haney petitioned the WBC to reinstate him as champion.
Devin Haney responded to criticism of his ‘white boy’ comment by Tweeting, ‘I’m not racist and I never will be a racist.’
Devin Haney has taken criticism over his “white boy” comments seriously.
The unbeaten was asked during a YouTube Live session about the prospect of facing Ukrainian star Vasiliy Lomachenko, the fighter many believe is the No. 1 fighter in the world pound-for-pound.
“I can tell you this: I will never lose to a white boy in my life,” Haney said. “I don’t care what nobody got to say. Listen, can’t no white boy beat me, I don’t care, on any day of the week. I fight a white boy like 10 times, I’m gonna beat him 10 times.”
Haney, who is black, was criticized on social media for injecting race into the otherwise typical trash-talk conversations.
The 21-year-old responded with two Tweets.
He wrote in the first: “I’m not racist and I never will be a racist. I’m chasing greatness.
And in the second: “I just had a very positive conversation with Mauricio Sulaiman, president of the WBC, and confirmed to him directly my commitment to be a role model and my absolute rejection of discrimination of any kind.” Sulaiman “liked” the second Tweet.
Lomachenko was scheduled to fight fellow titleholder Teofimo Lopez on May 30 but that fight was postponed indefinitely because of the coronavirus.
Haney won the WBC 135-pound title by shutting out Alfredo Santiago in October but was declared “champion in recess” when he had to have shoulder surgery and couldn’t defend against No. 1 challenger Javier Fortuna.
The WBC then ordered Fortuna and Luke Campbell to fight for the vacant title but that fight never happened because of the pandemic. Meanwhile, Haney petitioned the WBC to reinstate him as champion.
Devin Haney took trash talk with Vasiliy Lomachenko to the next level when he said ‘I’ll never lose to a white boy in my life.’
Devin Haney took trash talk with Vasiliy Lomachenko to the next level.
Haney, the unbeaten lightweight, was asked during a YouTube Live session about the prospect of facing the fighter many believe is No. 1 pound-for-pound.
“I can tell you this: I will never lose to a white boy in my life,” Haney said. “I don’t care what nobody got to say. Listen, can’t no white boy beat me, I don’t care, on any day of the week. I fight a white boy like 10 times, I’m gonna beat him 10 times.”
Haney, who is black, and Lomachenko, who is white, have also exchanged barbs on Instagram but their rivalry probably will be limited to words until some things are sorted out.
Lomachenko was scheduled to fight fellow titleholder Teofimo Lopez on May 30 but that fight was postponed indefinitely because of the coronavirus.
Haney won the WBC 135-pound title by shutting out Alfredo Santiago in October but was declared “champion in recess” when he had to have shoulder surgery and couldn’t defend against No. 1 challenger Javier Fortuna.
The WBC then ordered Fortuna and Luke Campbell to fight for the vacant title but that fight never happened because of the pandemic. Meanwhile, Haney petitioned the WBC to reinstate him as champion.
Eddy Reynoso, Ryan Garcia’s trainer, believes his protege has everything it takes to be a star but has more work to do.
Lightweight contender Ryan Garcia’s trainer, Eddy Reynoso, believes the Mexican-American is a special fighter. And a young one.
For that reason, Reynoso, who also trains superstar Canelo Alvarez, believes there is no reason to rush his 21-year-old protégé into fights against the likes of Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney.
Garcia (20-0, 17 KOs) has stopped his last three opponents — all second-tier fighters — in two, one and one rounds, respectively. In other words, he hasn’t had much work in actual fights over the past year-plus.
“I would like a couple more fights,” Reynoso told ESPN Knockout. “In the last three fights we have fought four rounds. He still needs to learn more, fight with boxers who give him a battle, boxers who are giving him training in the ring.
“We are missing two or three fights, not because he cannot beat them right now. He can beat anyone, in the ring he can beat a champion. But … he lacks a little more experience. And let’s see if this year [that] can be done.”
Reynoso appreciates Garcia’s many qualities and his early accomplishments but said he’s still building a world-class resume.
“As far as I am concerned as a coach, we have not really beaten anyone,” he said. “We have not defeated any world champion, we have not defeated any contender. We have a silver title. The boy is very talented. He also has talent for … writing and he is very charismatic. He has a lot of ability to learn in the ring. It is his way of being. He is a very good boy, he really wants to [learn].
“… But I think we still have a long way to go to become a great champion. He is in a very good moment. We need to learn more, but with discipline. And as he continues he will go a long way.”
Devin Haney has been reinstated as lightweight titleholder by the WBC, according to a report.
Devin Haney reportedly has been reinstated as lightweight titleholder.
The WBC designated the unbeaten 21-year-old “champion in recess” in December when he couldn’t defend his belt against mandatory challenger Javier Fortuna, who was scheduled to fight Luke Campbell for the vacant title.
Haney appealed and the WBC reinstated him, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed to BoxingScene.com on Tuesday. Obviously, the break in the action because of the coronavirus pandemic worked in Haney’s favor.
Negotiations with Fortuna broke off when Haney had shoulder surgery, which he said would keep him out of the ring for six months.
As “champion in recess,” Haney would’ve retained the right to fight for his belt when he was physically able to do so.
Fortuna and Campbell were scheduled to fight for the title on April 17 in Oxon Hill, Maryland but all combat sports events have been banned since COVID-19 took hold.
“I feel like they should reinstate me,” Haney told BoxingScene.com before filing his appeal. “I was stripped because they felt I wouldn’t be active to fight my mandatory. But the two [top contenders] never fought.
“So what sense does that make? If I’m ready to fight the mandatories … let’s make this happen.”
Haney (24-0, 15 KOs) won the interim WBC 135-pound title when he stopped Zaur Abdullaev in four rounds last September and was upgraded to full titleholder when Vasiliy Lomachenko was designated “franchise champion.”
Haney successfully defended by shutting out Alfredo Santiago in November.
Boxing Junkie staffers predict who would win if Vasiliy Lomachenko fought five top potential opponents in our “Who Wins” feature.
Boxing Junkie staffers are trying to have some fun while the sport is on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic.
One of the questions fans love to ask even amid a busy schedule is, “Who would win if …?” With that in mind, we decided to create a feature in which we complete that sentence by asking, “Who would win each fight if we pitted a specific boxer against five top prospective opponents?”
We start with our No. 1 boxer pound-for-pound, Vasiliy Lomachenko, and pit him against Teofimo Lopez, Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis, Miguel Berchelt and Ryan Garcia. The Boxing Junkie Staffers – Michael Rosenthal, Norm Frauenheim and Sean Nam – then make their predictions and we would tally the score for Lomachenko.
If he wins all five fights, he would have a score of 15-0, as each staffer will have predicted a victory in all five matchups.
We want to acknowledge that the choice of possible opponents is subjective. We’re looking for the best possible but also realistic foes for our featured boxers. One caveat: We won’t consider promotional and managerial rivalries that often stand in the way of the best matchups.
The plan is to work our way down our pound-for-pound list each day, meaning we’ll focus on No. 2 Terence Crawford tomorrow.
So here goes: Lomachenko vs. the five potential opponents.
LOMACHENKO VS. LOPEZ (15-0, 12 KOs)
Rosenthal: No one will outbox Lomachenko. An opponent would have to swarm him or rough him up (a la Orlando Salido), have a size advantage (Jorge Linares) or have unusual power. Lopez has a high boxing IQ but not enough for Lomachenko, at least not yet. He has the power to hurt Lomachenko but our No. 1 boxer is too good to get caught. Lomachenko by unanimous decision.
Frauenheim: Intriguing fight, mostly because both like to set traps. The winner will be the fighter who’s better at getting out of one. That’s Lomachenko, whose agile feet allow him to almost glide above the canvas in a tireless dance, in and out of traps and into a split-decision win.
Nam: Lopez is the future, but Lomachenko still reigns over the present. Lopez has the size and power to trouble Lomachenko, but he will have his hands full against the Ukrainian’s high-octane pressure and unusual dexterity. It’ll be tactical in the beginning, but expect Lomachenko to take over in the latter half of the bout and win a clear decision. A late stoppage wouldn’t be surprising.
***
LOMACHENKO VS. HANEY (24-0, 15 KOs)
Devin Haney (right) stopped Zaur Abdullaev but does he have the seasoning to hang with Lomachenko? AP Photo / Frank Franklin II
Rosenthal: Haney is naturally bigger than Lomachenko, which would work in his favor. He also is quick and has tight technique most of the time, which obviously would help. Haney’s problem is that he has neither the seasoning – he’s only 21 years old — nor the pop in his punches to hurt Lomachenko, at least not on paper. I think he gives Lomachenko some trouble but loses a clear unanimous decision.
Frauenheim: For Haney, it’s a little early. He’s had 24 fights, nine more than Lomachenko. Haney also has youth. He’s 21, 11 years younger than Lomachenko. But Lomachenko, perhaps the best boxer in Olympic history, knows his way around the world and the ring. Lomachenko’s angles and instincts add up to a win by unanimous decision.
Nam: Same scenario as Lomachenko vs. Lopez. Haney is very much the future of the sport, but there is nothing to suggest in either his ability or body of work that he can handle Lomachenko. Haney may boast advantages in quickness and size, but it’s worth pointing out he had some trouble with Alfredo Santiago in his last bout. Lomachenko by unanimous decision.
***
LOMACHENKO VS. DAVIS (23-0, 22 KOs)
Gervonta Davis (right) had some trouble with Yuriorkis Gamboa. Would he have to be better to compete with Lomachenko? AP Photo /T ami Chappell
Rosenthal: This might be the most intriguing matchup of the bunch. Davis is comparable with Lomachenko in size and has the swarming style and punching power to push the Ukrainian to his limits. And I presume Davis would be focused for this fight, which isn’t always the case with him. I think Lomachenko wins a closer-than-expected, but unanimous decision.
Frauenheim: Davis has dangerous power. A dangerous temper too. It’s the temper that will do him in against the clever Lomachenko. Lomachenko will throw punches from angles yet unseen by Davis, who will walk or stumble into a trap he can’t escape. Lomachenko wins a late-round TKO.
Nam: Don’t mistake popularity for ability. The hard-hitting Davis is talented, no doubt, and he may one of the few American fighters with legitimate box office appeal, but consider his performance against Yuriorkis Gamboa a warning. The Baltimore native needed 11 rounds before he could put away a shopworn fighter who fought the majority of the fight on one leg due to a torn Achilles. That won’t cut it against Lomachenko, who will win by stoppage.
***
LOMACHENKO VS. BERCHELT (37-1, 33 KOs)
Miguel Berchelt (right) overwhelmed Jason Sosa. Could he do the same against Lomachenko? Mikey Williams / Top Rank
Rosenthal: Berchelt is a beast. The Mexican is a well-schooled boxer with crushing power, as his KO percentage indicates. And he has the experience that the others here lack. In other words, this would be a real challenge for our favorite. I think he pushes Lomachenko harder than anyone else here but, because of Lomachenko’s superhuman skill set and resilence, he weathers the storm and wins a close, but unanimous decision.
Frauenheim: Lomachenko’s toughest fight. Berchelt has a presence, an intangible poise that will prove effective against Lomachenko. To wit: Berchelt won’t lose his cool. He won’t crack when Lomachenko tries to apply his magic. Berchelt also has power. Question is, can he catch Lomachenko? Probably not. A draw.
Nam: Of all the fighters here, Berchelt perhaps has the most diverse offensive skillset. His ability to rifle off four-five punch combinations would bode him well against Lomachenko, who is best when he has his opponent on the backfoot. Berchelt may be able to break that pattern. However, Berchelt leaves himself wide open when he throws his combinations and tends to leave his chin hanging out. Lomachenko by unanimous decision.
***
LOMACHENKO VS. GARCIA (20-0, 17 KOs)
Ryan Garcia (right) has blown away his opponents but hasn’t faced anyone like Lomachenko. Tom Hogan-Hoganphotos / Golden Boy Promotions
Rosenthal: Garcia has generated a great deal of excitement but the fact is he’s still developing. He has the natural ability and punching power to compete with anyone, including this opponent; he just doesn’t have the experience to hang with a wizard like Lomachenko. He would have his moments but wouldn’t survive 12 rounds. Lomachenko by KO.
Frauenheim: Years from now, an interesting fight. Garcia has power and very fast hands. Lomachenko has seen both, dealt with both. Lomachenko will employ his own hand speed, moving from side to side and landing a blitz of combinations from all sides for a unanimous decision.
Nam: Too green. Garcia is showing signs of improving steadily under the guidance of Canelo Alvarez’s head trainer, Eddie Reynosos, but he is still something of a prospect. He keeps his chin deadly high and has an upright stance. So far his reflexes and power have led to highlight reel wins over pedestrian opponents. Lomachenko would pick him apart from the opening bell and stop him in embarrassing fashion in the late rounds.
Ryan Garcia still has a lot to prove but first-round knockouts — like the one he turned in Saturday — generate excitement.
GOOD
Ryan Garcia’s one-punch knockout of Francisco Fonseca only 1 minute, 20 seconds into their lightweight fight Friday doesn’t prove much because Fonseca is nothing special.
The excitement Garcia created with his second consecutive first-round stoppage is genuine, though. He’s blossoming into a potential star. That’s what happens when your results in the ring start to catch up to the hype.
Indeed, almost any fighter would love to be in Garcia’s position.
Of course, he still has a long way to go. Only 21, he still hasn’t faced a legitimate threat. Only a true test can give us an idea of how good Garcia truly is and can be.
It could come soon. Oscar De La Hoya, Garcia’s promoter, is eyeing a matchup between Garcia and former three-division titleholder Jorge Linares in July. If Garcia can win that fight – a big if, in my opinion – he will have made a strong statement.
I wonder whether Garcia’s handlers would live to regret the decision to fight the gifted Linares, who demonstrated in his fourth-round knockout of Carlos Morales on the Garcia-Fonseca card that he has more to give, but I would applaud the bold move.
Garcia, bubbling with confidence, definitely thinks big. He reeled off immediately after his stoppage of Fonseca a gauntlet of opponents he’d like to face in the near future – Linares, Luke Campbell, Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney.
That’s quite a gauntlet he’s laid out for himself. We’ll see how many of them – if any – he fights and how he performs once he does.
In the meantime, Garcia has our attention. That’s more than all but a few professional boxers can say.
BAD
Referee Jack Reiss watches closely as a wild ending to the Abel Ramos-Bryant Perrella fight unfolds. Stephanie Trapp / TGB Promotions
The last-second stoppage of the Abel Ramos-Bryant Perrella fight on the Caleb Plant-Vincent Feigenbutz card Saturday in Nashville might’ve seemed cruel to Perrella, who was winning on all cards when he lost in an instant.
The fact is referee Jack Reiss was following the rules.
According to the Unified Rules of Boxing, under which that bout was fought, “A fighter cannot be saved by the bell in any round, including the final round.” That means, if I understand it correctly, an injured boxer must be in condition to fight even if the three minutes of the last round has expired.
Reiss judged that Perrella, who had gone down twice in the final seconds, was in no condition to continue and waved off the fight.
The frustration expressed by Perrella’s cornerman Michael Nowling in the ring immediately after the stoppage was understandable: “We won every round and they took it from us with 1 second left.”
The rules took it from Perrella, not “they.” And not Reiss. The referee, as trainer and TV analyst Joe Goossen said, isn’t a timekeeper. His job is to look after the welfare of the combatants in the ring with him and follow the rules.
That’s what Reiss did. Good stoppage.
WORSE
Vincent Feigenbutz (left) didn’t have the tools to compete with Caleb Plant on Saturday night. Stephanie Trapp / TGB Promotions
It seems to me that sanctioning bodies are supposed to have a champion and then rank the next 10 best contenders in each division.
The reality? The alphabet organizations rank their contenders based less on merit than on how much money they can make. The result of that is a matchup like Caleb Plant vs. Vincent Feigenbutz for Plant’s IBF super middleweight title.
Feigenbutz, ranked No. 1 by the IBF, is a strong, sturdy young man but he had no business in the ring with a fighter of Plant’s ability. The fact he was the mandatory challenger is yet another red flag that the system is a mess.
Plant’s title defense, which ended by 10th-round knockout, couldn’t even be described as a competitive fight. Feigenbutz, an eight-year pro, has rudimentary skills and courage but not the tools to give the titleholder a legitimate challenge. Aren’t title fights supposed to be competitive at least on paper?
Anyone watching that fight who didn’t feel sorry for the German in the latter rounds has no heart. And anyone not disgusted with the IBF has no sense.
Sadly, there is no solution is sight. Some sort of oversight body – ideally an international one – might help but that isn’t going to happen any time soon. I personally try to minimize the sanctioning bodies by mentioning them infrequently but that’s only a small gesture.
We’re stuck with the murky alphabet soup and mismatches like Plant-Feigenbutz. I just hope fans can see through their self-serving game.
Devin Haney, who has called out Vasiliy Lomachenko, has been ordered to make a mandatory defense of his title against Javier Fortuna.
Devin Haney’s controversial lightweight title is generating a lot of debate and forcing him to take care of some mandatory business before he can really challenge Vasiliy Lomachenko.
Haney, who talked about Lomachenko before his so-so performance in a decision over Alfredo Santiago on Saturday, has been ordered to make a mandatory defense of his title against Javier Fortuna.
The 20-year-old Haney (24-0, 15 knockouts), boxing’s youngest champion, was given the WBC 135-pound belt when the sanctioning body named Lomachenko its “franchise champion” last month. As an interim champion, Haney had been in line for a possible bout with Lomachenko, the leading pound-for-pound contender.
Fortuna (35-2-1, 24 KOs), a Dominican living in Massachusetts, is a former champion who became a mandatory challenger with a second-round stoppage of Jesus Cuellar on Nov. 2 at Oxon Hill, Maryland.
Devin Haney,who beat Alfredo Santiago on Saturday, has called out Vasiliy Lomachenko but might have to settle for Javier Fortuna for now. Ed Mulholland / Matchroom Boxing USA
If an agreement can’t be reached, a purse bid for Haney-Fortuna is scheduled for Dec. 13.
Before his victory over Santiago in a sloppy fight in Los Angeles, Haney talked about Lomachenko.
“I do see flaws in him,’’ Haney told Sky Sports. “One deciding factor – my jab. I feel like I’ve got the best jab in the game and my jab separates me from everyone. Being honest, I haven’t played the fight out in my head because the fight hasn’t been set in stone. It doesn’t look like it’s going to be made next.”
