Bill Haney Claims Ryan Garcia Sparked Devin Haney’s Humiliating Performance

The left hook has long been synonymous with Ryan Garcia throughout his career, and for good reason. It was his signature weapon during his amateur days, and it proved decisive again during his fight with Devin Haney on April 20, 2024. Garcia had displayed highly erratic and concerning behavior in the lead-up, and many expected him to crumble under the pressure of fighting a former undisputed lightweight champion. However, from the very first round, it was clear—things aren’t going to go as had been predicted. Though Devin Haney rebounded quickly, winning the next four rounds, it was all about to change.

Ryan Garcia launched into the sixth round with a flurry of nearly two dozen unanswered punches, winning the round on two scorecards. He followed that up with a savage onslaught in the seventh, dropping Devin Haney and nearly stopping the fight altogether. More knockdowns in the 10th and 11th rounds cemented the Victorville native’s win and earned him a majority decision victory. Now, that kind of punishment can take a serious toll on any fighter, and mentally, it clearly did.

Originally, Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney were set for a rematch after Garcia’s suspension ended for testing positive for the banned substance, Ostarine. However, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh ruled that both fighters needed to win separate comeback bouts first to qualify for a second meeting. While the 26-year-old suffered an upset loss to Rolando Romero, Devin Haney secured a slow decision win over Jose Ramirez. As a result, despite the win, Haney faced heavy criticism for fighting overly defensively in the Ramirez bout. It even garnered a record for the fewest punches landed in a 12-round fight this year, as well as being the fight with the fourth fewest punches landed in CompuBox’s 40-year history. And now, Bill Haney is stepping in to set the record straight on why his son fought that way.

Not too long ago, ShowBizz The Adult had a lengthy conversation with Bill Haney, a clip from which he shared on Instagram with the caption: “Haney’s focus was to run. Do you believe that was the best plan, or do you agree with me?” In the clip, Bill Haney defended his son’s cautious approach during the Jose Ramirez fight. He explained the strategy by referencing the overwhelming narrative surrounding Devin’s vulnerability to the left hook, especially after his knockdowns against Ryan Garcia. “For a year, we ran a narrative that Dev, ‘What about the left hook? What about the left hook?’” he said. He argued that if Devin had been hit with even a light left hook, critics would have compared it unfavorably, saying, “If it was Ryan Garcia, Teofimo Lopez, or Tank, it would’ve ended differently.”

Bill Haney explained that as a result, the focus was to “quiet the noise” and restore his son’s confidence. “I said okay, I am gonna go in there and I’m gonna pitch a shutout. You are going to know and believe that if you do not want to get hit with nothing, you do not get hit with nothing.”

ShowBizz agreed and doubled down, stating, “You don’t realize what you just said. What you just said was y’all fought scared. You advised Devin Haney to fight in a way to shut up social media, and that’s why the fight ended up being a boring one. You were worried about what people might say, hey, ‘If you get touched by a left hook, get touched by left hook.’ But either way I would prefer him to get touched by a left hook and whoop Ramirez’s a** than try to shut up social media. Because you did not get that accomplished.”

So, while it may appear Devin Haney fought cautiously to avoid the left hook, will he adopt the same approach in his upcoming bout against the current WBO welterweight champion?

What’s next for Devin Haney? New fight rumors swirl

Following his latest victory, Brian Norman Jr. has verbally agreed to face former two-division champion Devin Haney later this year, an industry source told BoxingScene on Wednesday. Norman, 24, is coming fresh off a dominant fifth-round knockout win over Jin Sasaki in Japan and has since informed his promoter that he’s eager to pursue a bout with The Dream. The fight is being planned with backing from Saudi boxing powerbroker HE Turki Alalshikh, though a final deal has yet to be confirmed.

Those close to the negotiations suggest the fight is being targeted for November. Norman, an undefeated welterweight from Georgia with a record of 28-0, has made it clear that he wants the fight to take place at the standard 147-pound limit, with no catchweight or next-day weigh-in restrictions.

Speaking to BoxingScene on Tuesday, Devin Haney’s father, trainer, and manager, Bill Haney, addressed Team Norman directly. “You guys [Team Norman] said that you wanted more [to fight Ennis]. Well, guess what? We know what your ‘more’ is, and if you want that to fight Devin ‘The Dream’ Haney,’ then you can get that next,” he said.

The confident tone reflects Team Haney’s belief in securing the matchup, but also raises the stakes. So, what do you make of Bill Haney’s comments? And if Devin Haney ends up facing Brian Norman, who do you think walks away with the easier win?