Devin Haney: A Matter of Respect

Earlier this year, Devin Haney was chastised for his cautious performance against Jose Carlos Ramirez.

Before that, he was raked over the coals for getting dropped repeatedly by an uninventive Ryan Garcia. The year prior, he was likened by many to a swindler, cheating Lomachenko out of glory that the Ukrainian nobly delayed. Earlier still, it was Haney’s late-round woes against a faded Jorge Linares that invited criticism.

These are complemented by his paltry punch and his lack of charisma. After all, the only dreaming “The Dream” provided at times was a nap before the main event. His press conferences aren’t farmed for viral soundbites, either.

His talkative, live-through-proxy father does him few favors, as well.

Whatever one puts in these claims, the Bay Area boxer has given us a glimpse of his vulnerabilities. He doesn’t chatter like Camacho, hit like Hearns, take ‘em like Tackie, or get at it like Gatti. But he wins.

And winning is what he did once again on Saturday night, scoring a unanimous decision over top-ranked welterweight and defending WBO titlist, Brian Norman Jr.

As usual, there wasn’t much to bite your nails over. Haney grounded his game in the usual—a world class jab, smart footwork, accurate power punching, and spoiling his opponent’s inside work.

Excluding the first round, which was little more than a feeling out process that Norman edged by doing slightly more, Haney took the early rounds. Namely the second. Here Haney got over a left hook-right hand combination that dropped Norman to his knees. Norman looked shaken in arising but made it out of the segment on steady steps.

Norman picked things up in the middle rounds, though, mounting as much pressure as Haney’s swift feet would allow. He couldn’t find his timing for a shot that might turn his luck around, but landed a few hard jabs and body shots that helped him nip a few rounds on the scorecards.

During the final stretch, Haney was just accurate enough, and spoiled just enough, to secure the victory.

It wasn’t domination, as some have labeled it. Nor was Norman a definitive number one at welterweight, despite his unanimous designation by Transnational and The Ring.

The truth is that the Georgian is a solid 147-pounder who managed to earn his ranking in a shuffle-deck division where a win over one contender and a few fringe guys can put you near the driver’s seat.

Norman need not be a killer, though. He was the top guy, regardless of how precariously he held that honor. And Haney can only be commended for targeting him. What else should we expect fighters to do?

Further still, the victory over Norman marks the third division that Haney has scored a title in. One of those was a lineal championship in one of the oldest classes in boxing, while being only twenty-three.

Sure, George Kambosos wasn’t striking fear into anyone’s heart and Haney snatched a 140-pound trinket from a Regis Prograis who had seen better days, but the sport isn’t clean enough or deep enough for fighters to have to slash through a murderer’s row every time they desire a Championship.

That’s not to say Haney hasn’t missed opportunities. Virtually every world class fighter has. But when you add up the contenders and titlists he has overcome already, from 135-147, all by the age of twenty-seven, one can’t deny that it’s a healthy legacy.

Put simply: The kid wins.