Devin Haney plans to bounce back after his fight with Ryan Garcia ended in controversy. The bout initially looked like Haney's first loss, but officials later changed the result to a no-contest.
Garcia showed up overweight for their WBC Super-Lightweight Title fight. He knocked Haney down three times and got a majority decision win. But that didn't last long. Garcia failed two drug tests and got suspended for a year. The result? A no-contest instead of a win.
Now Haney's got to figure out his next move. Tim Bradley, a former champion, thinks Haney should take it slow. Bradley told Title Sports Network:
"If I was Devin, if I was part of his team, I would tell him to take on a top contender, a little less of a challenge, just to build some confidence back. Get back into the ring, see how he feels, see if anything's different. I would take on a top 15 contender and get a win and then take on a big challenge. I wouldn't mind seeing him and Teofimo Lopez."
Bradley thinks Lopez would be the favorite in a fight with Haney. He said:
"You gotta look at film. Obviously the favourite's gonna be Teo cause he has the power and he does possess a left hook. Haney obviously couldn't get away from Ryan Garcia's left hook, so maybe he goes back to the drawing board and fixes that. I still think it's a great fight, not only for the names but stylistically. Devin can box. He's young and he can bounce back."
Lopez holds the WBO and Ring Magazine belts at 140 pounds. But he's thinking about moving up to welterweight at 147.
Haney's got other options, too. He's in talks to fight IBF 140-pound champ Liam Paro in Australia. Haney's been there before – he became undisputed at lightweight Down Under.
The WBC named Haney their "Champion in Recess" after the Garcia fight. That means he's got a shot at the title whenever he's ready to come back.
Haney's got some work to do to get back on track. But at just 25 years old, he's got plenty of time to turn things around.
