Devin Haney claims he gained experience and learned from his fight against former three-division world champion Vasily Lomachenko last year, which will help him against his opponent Ryan Garcia in New York this Saturday night.
Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) says he improved from his fight against Lomachenko, a highly controversial match, with fans viewing him as gifted by the Nevada judges a year ago.
Is Beating Prograis Proof of Progress?
Since that fight, Haney beat 35-year-old Regis Prograis by a 12-round decision last December, and he feels that’s proof that he’s raised his game.
It’s difficult to give Haney much credit for his victory over the New Orleans native Prograis, given that he was coming off a controversial 12-round split decision win over the obscure second-tier fighter Danielito Zorrilla in June last year.
“I gained so much experience,” Devin Haney said to talkSPORT about his win over Vasily Lomachenko last year, which many fans felt he lost. “I took the experience of Loma and I added it into my experience.
“In the next fight [against WBC light welterweight champion Regis Prograis last December], you’ve seen how much better I was in the next fight,” said Haney.
Real Tests Lie Ahead
I think to say that Haney is improving from his fight against Lomachenko, whom he was much bigger than, he would need to fight better opposition than Ryan Garcia and Regis Prograis.
The fighters will prove 100% if Haney has learned from his fight against Lomachenko and gotten better by fighting these guys:
- Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis
- Subriel Matias
- Teofimo Lopez
- Shakur Stevenson
- Gervonta Davis
- Tim Tszyu
- Terence Crawford
- Errol Spence
- Sebastian Fundora
Fighting Outside His Weight Class
Haney is a 165-pounder, so he should be open to fighting welterweights and junior middleweights along with guys from the 140 and 135-lb class.
When you’re as big as Haney is and melting down to 140, you should be ready to fight guys in four weight classes like a modern-day Henry Armstrong. If not, you can’t call yourself the best, and you’re just a fake who mouths the words of being the best.
“I’m happy that I was able to learn in that fight, get the victory, and move forward,” said Haney.
For Haney to prove that he’s shown growth in his career, he needs to fight the best and not continue to select beatable fighters like he’s been doing.