Lucas Jones
The most fickle part of boxing is that no matter who you are, in the court of public opinion, you are only as good as your last performance.
While this is certainly unfair in most cases, it has become a reality during the modern era where elite fighters only compete twice a year. And in the case of former undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney, the past week has seen him go from being undefeated and ranked among the best pound-for-pound in the game at age 25 to the inevitable murmurs about whether he ever time was so good to start following the first defeat of his professional career.
Again, no one ever said this was a fair system for deciding, whether you’re a fan or member of the media, exactly where a fighter’s stock should be.
Haney (31-1, 15 KOs) may have shown courage by getting on the scoresheet after being knocked down three times by Ryan Garcia in their pay-per-view clash inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. But all the talk, understandably, about Haney’s poor performance (despite being an 8-to-1 betting favorite) centered on his shocking inability to avoid the seemingly only dangerous weapon in Garcia’s arsenal: his quick uppercut. left.
Of course, it should be noted, that Garcia may have purposefully chosen to lose weight, which prevented him from needing to tax himself to the 140-pound limit during the last few days, when he instead weighed more than three kilos (and was forced to forfeit about $600,000 of his scholarship). And there’s also the fact that Garcia, who has unleashed an extreme level of mind games to try to get under Haney’s skin throughout the promotion, brings with him the confidence of having split six amateur fights against Haney since he was a teenager.
But this was a fight where finding a way to defeat Haney was becoming increasingly difficult, aside from the threat of him being caught with a big punch. This was the same Haney who all but secured the 2023 fighter of the year award by defeating Vasiliy Lomachenko at lightweight via a disputed decision before dismantling Regis Prograis in his 140-pound debut to claim the WBC title.
A master of distance control and technique, with one of the most polished punches boxing has seen in decades, it never seemed to matter that Haney lacked one-punch finishing power because of how great his fight IQ was for a boxer. so young.
So how did Haney get here, back to the drawing board, and forced to shake off a loss that his critics universally found embarrassing (even with Garcia producing the best performance of his career)?
As good as Haney has been since arriving on the professional scene – and as brilliantly as he and his father, Bill, have guided his career as a steady promotional free agent – there are certain lessons you can only learn through in-ring experience.
Not only did Garcia possess the only piece of kryptonite capable of breaking through Haney’s defense, timing his jab and punching with it to wrap his dangerous left hook around his opponent’s high guard, the entirety of the fight showcased the one major weakness in the still developing Haney. game: your inability to fight within.
Outside of the bizarre moments where Garcia turned his back on Haney in the clinch, leaving his midsection open for punches, Haney failed to land the body the entire time, which proved to be a big part of Gervonta Davis’ offense as he finished Garcia last. April.
Haney, who was hurt by a left hook early in the first round, made the appropriate adjustments in rounds 2-5, dodging Garcia’s left hook to land single punches before clinching. But none of these landed punches did much to hurt Garcia and although Haney did well to strategically hold back in an effort to limit Garcia’s output while cutting off the ring and cornering him, he was unable to turn these advantageous positions into offense like others before him. him (and, most notably, Hall of Famer Andre Ward).
Ward, like Haney, was long seen as a cunning and adaptable boxer who lacked great power but relied on his accuracy and intelligence to outsmart more dangerous foes. And while that description is true, it was just enough to get Ward so far. The reality is that most of Ward’s biggest wins – from Mikkel Kessler and Carl Froch to Sergey Kovalev – were achieved due to his ability to be the bigger fighter on the inside, where he could use body shots, pivots and physicality to attack. your opponents up.
In the long run, Garcia’s loss could end up being the perfect lesson learned, as Haney only gets better as he pursues increasingly dangerous fights; but only if he takes the time to critique his mistakes and improve on them in the way so many previous legends have. Think about the careers of Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns, for example, when they each bounced back from important early losses (Roberto Duran and Leonard, respectively) but were able to evolve and grow in ways that helped each redeem themselves. demonstrably.
Haney really was as good as he seemed in previous years, where the only lingering problem that accompanied him were fears that his chin was not up to the bar because of a punch against Jorge Linares at the end of the 2021 meeting, which saw Haney hold and circulate away from the boos of the crowd. But now it’s time for him to reset and prove it to all of us once again, which is why the humiliating defeat takes him out of the P4P rankings, but doesn’t remove him from the list of those seeking advancement. among the top 10 with a unique and innovative performance.
With the way he shocked the world, just as his behavior outside the ring led many to think he was mentally unfit to compete, Garcia also joins Haney in that same group. Garcia, however, will have a long journey from the standpoint of convincing P4P voters that he belongs here in the long term, as he also continues to evolve and raise his game after just his second fight with new trainer Derrick James .
Remember, it was Garcia who everyone said lacked defense, awareness, footwork and really anything other than speed coming in and yet took his game to another level of maturity to maintain his balance and defensive responsibility to attack Haney before drop him three times to win a tough decision.
For better or worse, you are only as good as your last appearance. But boxing is a lot more fun when fighters have the grace and space to swing big and fail on the brightest stage, knowing that their breakthrough performance could be right around the corner.
Look at the improvements Garcia has made in a year, from the Davis fights to Haney. Now, imagine where Haney could be a year from now, as the pain of Garcia’s loss continues to fuel his determination to ensure a performance like that never happens again.
Using criteria that takes into account everything from achievements to current form, let’s take a closer look at the best fighters in the ring. Below is the latest update to the Pound for Pound rankings following Garcia’s win over Haney in April.
Pound for Pound Ratings
1. Naoya Inoue
Undisputed junior featherweight champion (23-0, 21 KOs) | Previous Ranking: #1
Even though he briefly lost the top spot in the rankings following Terence Crawford’s riveting dominance over Errol Spence Jr., the Japanese “Monster” regained it by equaling Crawford’s claim as the only male boxer in the four-belt era to be undisputed champion in two. divisions. Inoue, champion of four divisions, will return on May 6, in Japan, against Luis Nery.
2. Terence Crawford
Undisputed welterweight champion (39-0, 29 KOs) | Previous ranking: #2
If you wondered how great Crawford really was, his dismantling of Spence in their undisputed title fight provided those answers. Crawford, who has proven he would be a tough match for any welterweight in history, will move up to 154 pounds in August when he challenges WBA champion Israil Madrimov.
3. Canelo Álvarez
Undisputed super middleweight champion (60-2-2, 38 KOs) | Previous ranking: #3
The former P4P king is still the undisputed champion of one of the sport’s hottest divisions and proved against Jermell Charlo at September’s PPV that he’s not done yet at the age of 33. Not wanting to face David Benavidez next, Alvarez returns on May 4 against fellow Mexican Jaime Munguia.
4. Oleksandr Usyk
Unified heavyweight champion (19-0, 13 KOs | Previous ranking: No. 4
Usyk’s professional career was as decorated as it was perfect. The former undisputed cruiserweight champion scored two resounding victories over Anthony Joshua to unify a trio of heavyweight titles. Following a stoppage of mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois, Usyk now finally gets his undisputed showdown against WBC champion Tyson Fury in May.
5. Artur Beterbiev
Unified light heavyweight champion (20-0, 20 KOs) | Previous rating: 6
Whatever rumors there were about Beterbiev’s aging as he approaches his 39th birthday were violently swept away by the dismantling of former 168-pound champion Callum Smith in January. With their mandates out of the way, an undisputed showdown against WBA champion Dmitry Bivol will be on June 1 in Saudi Arabia.
6. Dmitry Bivol
WBA Light Heavyweight Champion (21-0, 11 KOs) | Previous ranking: #7
After an incredible 2022 that included a victory over Canelo Alvarez and near-universal acclaim as fighter of the year, Bivol sat out most of 2023 in hopes of facing unified champion Artur Beterbiev. The undisputed title clash is scheduled for June 1st, in the decisive fight for both their careers.
7. Gervonta Davis
WBA lightweight title holder (29-0, 27 KOs) | Previous rating: 9
Davis’ knockout of Ryan Garcia in their superfight last April looks even better now that “King Ryan” has become the first boxer to knock down and defeat former undisputed lightweight king Devin Haney. With a 2023 prison sentence, “Tank” returns on June 15 against undefeated Frank Martin.
8. Tyson’s Fury
WBC heavyweight champion (34-0-1, 25 KOs) | Previous ranking: #8
This has been nothing short of a strange 2023 for the “Gypsy King”. Fury has been heavily criticized for delaying his undisputed fight against unified king Oleksandr Usyk, which will now take place in February. And he was lucky to maintain his unbeaten record in a hard-fought decision victory over former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in October, which saw Fury hit the canvas against the novice boxer.
9. Shakur Stevenson
WBC Lightweight Champion (21-0, 10 KOs) | Previous ranking: #10
Although Stevenson limited strongman Edwin De Los Santos to a CompuBox record 12-rounder of just 40 punches, he was widely criticized for how boring his November victory in the fight for the vacant 135-pound title was. Stevenson, who appeared to have an injured left hand, won the title in the third weight division at just 26 years old, but was roundly criticized for not capitalizing on openings offensively.
10. David Benavidez
Super middleweight (28-0, 24 KOs) | Previous classification: No. NR
Frustrated by waiting for his chance against the undisputed king Canelo Alvarez, “The Monster” will move up to light heavyweight when he challenges former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk for the interim title on June 15. Be as skillful as you are dangerous.
Give up: Devin Haney
Honorable mention: Haney, Vasiliy Lomachenko, Teofimo Lopez Jr., Juan Francisco Estrada, Ryan Garcia
