By: Sean Crose
It was, without a doubt, a bad night for Devin Haney. For the undefeated San Francisco based fighter had traveled to New York to put the brash, seemingly off the wall Ryan Garcia in his place. Yet things that night did not end up going as planned. Rather than being put in his place, Garcia – who had shown up overweight – took Haney to school, knocking the highly regarded lightweight down on several occasions en route to a surprise victory. Again, it was a bad night for Devin Haney. Everyone has a bad night’s sometimes, however, even dominant boxers.
The 15-0 Haney will be back in the ring on May 2nd. Once again, he’ll be fighting in New York. This time, however he wont be facing Garcia, for Garcia will be battling Rolando Romero in the main event that evening as the centerpiece of a pay per view broadcast. Haney, however, can’t afford to be bitter, for he’ll be needing to focus his attention on the skilled Juan Carlos Ramirez. Although he’s expected to win, it must be kept in mind that Haney was previously expected to best Garcia, as well. Not that the Garcia bout was a total fiasco.
First off, Haney got the loss taken off his record after a banned substance was found in Garcia’s system both before and after the fight. It was a serious enough matter that the New York State Athletic Commission banned Garcia from fighting in New York for a year – which pretty much meant he was banned from fighting in the United States entirely (state athletic commissions clearly like to respect each other’s rulings whenever possible). Couple all this with the fact Garcia showed up to fight that night with a weight advantage and it’s understandable why at least some people would raise their eyebrows.
Still, when all is said and done, Haney must leave the ring at Times’ Square the victor on May 2nd. A loss at this point might prove devastating for the man, even though he’s technically undefeated as a result of the NYSAC ruling. Haney will likely come prepared, though. He has a lot riding on this fight. Besides, Haney is an excellent boxer, slick, disciplined and intelligent. Don’t expect the guy to have too many bad nights for himself. Besides, as has been said, sometimes a loss (even one that’s been subsequently erased) can motivate a boxer to attain greatness.
