Devin Haney has watched from the sidelines as those below him in the lightweight rankings have tried to figure out who they will be fighting next.
As it stands, it looks as if Javier Fortuna will take on Jorge Linares for what the WBC calls its “diamond belt.” And Luke Campbell and Ryan Garcia are in negotiations to fight for the WBC “interim” title, with the winner to face Haney.
The WBC calls Haney (24-0, 15 KOs) it’s 135-pound champion but he’s positioned below “franchise” champion Vasiliy Lomachenko. Haney last fought on Nov. 9, when he shut out Alfredo Santiago at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Here are Haney’s thoughts on what’s going on around him and how he fits in amid the coronavirus pandemic:
“I’m excited to get back in the ring. This has been the longest time between fights in my career. My body received a well-deserved rest. I’m blessed. Lately, I’ve been fortunate to spend a lot of time with ‘TBE’ Floyd Mayweather. Being compared to Mayweather is the ultimate compliment for any fighter in this era of boxing.
“I’m the most skilled fighter in the world right now and I’m looking forward to an opponent I can make a statement against. I’m working diligently with Mauricio Sulaiman and the WBC to make the big fights happen. Every decision made by the WBC hasn’t went my way, but I have a genuine love and respect for the WBC family as a whole. I’m proud to represent the WBC organization.
“Vasyl Lomachenko is a true professional and considered to be a top five pound-for-pound champion. I challenged him for the WBC lightweight world title and I didn’t get the big fight I wanted, but I got the belt I deserved by stopping Zaur Abdullaev and becoming Vasyl Lomachenko’s mandatory challenger to the lightweight world title.
“Ironically, the big fight never happened because Lomachenko and Top Rank petitioned the WBC not to fight me and award him the franchise title. I then petitioned the WBC to elevate me from interim champion to full world champion because Lomachenko chose not to fight me and I had previously beat the highest ranked fighter available.
“Let’s make this clear: You can’t win the franchise title and you can’t challenge a franchise champion. I’m 21-years old, and I’m the WBC world lightweight champion, and I believe in fighting mandatory challengers. The 135-pound unification runs through me. Enough said!
“At this point in my career I don’t mind mandatories at all because it forces the best fighters in my division to get in the ring with me. They can run but they can’t hide. Mandatory for me means mandatory cash. It’s good to be in a stacked division. If I can, I’m going to fight all of them.
“I hope Teofimo Lopez beats Loma and then fights me in a unification for all the belts like he promised Mauricio Sulaiman. To me it looks like Luke Campbell is looking forward to the opportunity of getting beat up by me more than Ryan Garcia is looking forward to it. I’m guessing, in Ryan’s defense, he’s never lost so he’s moving a little different and trying to stay undefeated, but I … think Eddie Reynoso and Golden Boy really don’t want him to fight me yet. Luke is accustomed to losing big fights, we know he’s come up short more than once. …
“As far as Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis? I don’t like throwing water on a drowning man but leaving a stacked 135-pound division, to take a fight at super featherweight kind of tells you where he’s at. It’s no secret I’m a problem at 135 pounds. I know Jose Ramirez ain’t sleeping good at night either. He got Haney at 140 pounds or Terence Crawford at 147 pounds. Problems to think about.
“I don’t wish that on anybody. Josh Taylor is an easier fight for Ramirez then me or Bud, but it’s still a tough 50-50 fight. Ramirez is out here looking like food on the low. This pandemic is something we’ve never seen. It’s tough on everyone around the world. We’ve all been in quarantine for the last few months, including myself, and fortunately staying at home is the best place to be. Similar in many ways to training camp.
“I pray to God things get back to normal soon. I’m anxious to get back in the ring as soon as the experts give the green light. I want all the smoke.”