Devin Haney leaked an old video clip on X, showing him battering the former IBF light welterweight champion Liam Paro in sparring, which was pretty one-sided.
This move by Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) appears to be a transparent attempt to show he’s a superior fighter to Richardson Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs), who is receiving a lot of favorable attention from the boxing world after his victory over Paro (25-1, 15 KOs) last Saturday night in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Haney’s Indirect Challenge
By showing that he was more skillful than Paro, Haney could create interest in a potential fight between him and Hitchins. If it does happen, it probably needs to be at 147 without Hitchins’ IBF title at stake because of the 10-lb rehydration rule.
The timing of Haney posting the old sparring video of him dominating Paro could be seen as a way of indirectly calling out Richardson without actually doing so. It would be better if Haney directly challenged him, but this is a sly way of creating interest in a fight between them by showing fans that he pieced up the fighter Hitchins beat last Saturday.
Considering that the recently beaten Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) and his dad, Bill Haney, are interested in a lucrative rematch with Ryan Garcia in 2025, the sparring video leak may be a cheap way for Devin to stay in the headlines without risking his hide of getting in the ring. It looks like Haney is trying to show people how talented he is.
Knowing how much money Dev can make fighting Garcia in a rematch, it would be insane to take a risky fight against Hitchins and lose like Paro did last weekend. Richardson’s speed, power, and punch accuracy would be massive problems for Haney.
Hitchins outclassed Paro, beating him by a 12-round split decision in a DAZN headliner on promoter Eddie Hearn’s card. The performance by the Brooklyn, New York native Richardson showed that he’s taken over the #1 spot in the 140-lb class.
Old files.. me & Paro… I think he will be Champion again someday. pic.twitter.com/eTw5iFqvBx
— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) December 9, 2024