Trainer Stephen Edwards says he doesn’t think the Gervonta Davis vs. Devin Haney fight will happen because too much weight separates the two fighters. Haney is a 165-pounder, whereas Tank is a 135-pounder.
(Photo credit: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom or Melina Pizano/Matchroom)
Edwards feels that with Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) rehydrating to 165 lbs this month for his fight against WBC light welterweight champion Regis Prograis, it’s too heavy for Tank Davis.
Stephen figures that the 25-year-old Haney will soon be moving to 147 as those guys rehydrate into the 160s, and it would be a logical move.
If Haney moves up to welterweight, he can fight guys that are of similar size, like Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis. Devin & Bill Haney can start hounding Terence Crawford and see if they can get a fight with him.
Haney needs to move on
Devin and his dad, Bill Haney, will likely continue to try to encourage Tank to move up to 140 for a fight, but that’s not realistic. It would be best for Haneys to stop talking about the Gervonta fight unless they want to do it for clout purposes.
At some point, it’ll make Devin & Bill look desperately, lowly, and pitiful if they keep using Tank’s name to get attention. It would make them look like they’ve got nothing going on, have no self-esteem, and are a couple of losers if they don’t let go and move on.
If Haney wants to look like a winner, he’s got to stop using Tank for clout and focus on doing things on his own, fighting the best opposition that preferably guys his own size rather than pooling from the 135 & 140-lb divisions to enjoy a massive 25+lb weight advantage.
If they can’t get the fight with Tank, they’ll likely hang around long enough to fight Ryan Garcia.
Since he’s a guy, they can make money fighting due to his 11 million followers on Instagram, so they’ll likely hang around long enough to pick him off. Ryan can’t fight worth a lick, but he’s popular, and it’s money, and that seems to be what Haney is all about.
Devin likely WON’T fight IBF champ, Subriel Matias, the Top Rank-promoted Teofimo Lopez, or WBC mandatory Sandor Martin. Fighting Matias wouldn’t be a big-money fight for Haney because he’s not well known, and it would be hard work.
If Haney moves up to 147, he’ll play it safe initially, likely taking on Mario Barrios or Keith Thurman. Those are winnable fights for Haney, as long as he’s fighting in the same defensive pull-back style that he used against 35-year-old Regis Prograis on December 9th.
Haney is hard to hit when he uses that style, but the negative side, he’s very, very boring to watch when he’s not mixing it up.
Tank & Haney separated by chasm of weight
“I don’t think Devin and Tank are going to fight, so I’m not even going to discuss that. I think it’s too much weight that separates them,” said Stephen Edwards to Fighthype about his belief that Devin Haney & Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis won’t fight due to the massive size difference between them.
“I know it’s only one division, but Devin rehydrated pretty [significantly for his fight with Regis Prograis]. I know it’s not his fault, as he did within the rules, but I just don’t see that fight happening,” continued Stephen about a fight between Tank Davis & Haney.
Devin made WBC light welterweight champion Regis Prograis look small. You can only imagine how much bigger Haney would be if he fought Tank Davis. It wouldn’t even be fair, not that Haney and his dad, Bill care about that.
Tank’s handlers obviously do, so it’s time for Haney to move on and look like a person who just doesn’t get it. There’s no interest, so he needs to give up.
“Both guys are going to be dictating too much. Devin isn’t going to fight Tank at 135, and I don’t think Tank is going to fight him at 140, so I don’t think the fight is going to happen,” said Edwards,
“So, everybody is all arguing and stuff, but I don’t think it’s even worth talking about it because I don’t think they’re going to fight. I think they’re going to go their separate ways.”
Haney and his dad have already said that they won’t agree to a catchweight or rehydration clause for a fight with Tank, which ended any sliver of a chance that a fight between them could take place. The final nail in the coffin of his abomination of a fight was 50K PPV buys Haney’s fight with Prograis brought in.
That alone would be enough to end any chances of a fight with Tank, but with Haney being obstinate, refusing weight stipulations, and his dad, Bill, talking crazy about a $20 million offer that never happened, that was it.
Devin to move up to 147 soon
“Devin is the bigger guy; he’s taller and longer. If you rehydrate to 165, then he’s going to be a welterweight pretty soon. So, I don’t think the fights going to happen,” said Edwards.
“As far as him [Haney] moving up to 147 to fight Terence Crawford, I think that’s a rumor. I don’t know about that, but I thought Devin looked great [against Regis Prograis on December 2nd]. That was the best performance of his career. I was super impressed with him.”
It’s hard to put it past the Haney’s targeting Crawford. If not for a fight but for clout-chasing purposes. Crawford would come in handy for Bill & Devin to swap out Tank Davis for him to start campaigning.
Assuming they’re serious about wanting to fight Crawford, they would likely have to wait until 2025 because he’s got a mandatory rematch with Errol Spence and a possible fight with Canelo Alvarez.
“He’s going to be hell to beat from here on out. I don’t know his body. That’s up to him,” said Stephen when asked if Haney should stay at 140 or move to 147, but he looked awesome. I was very, very impressed.
“The fact that he fought three southpaws is good development. It’s more than just good matchmaking in boxing. It’s development because Shakur Stevenson and Tank Davis are both southpaws. He’s kind of getting ready for that on-the-job training.
Edwards already said that he doesn’t see Tank fighting Haney, so the only OJT Devin has been doing by fighting southpaws is to get ready for Shakur, who he has no interest in facing because he’s impossible to hit and he’s not a PPV attraction.
“So, Devin is doing good, his dad is doing real good as far as matching him the right way,” said Stephen.
