Former undisputed champion Devin Haney has received criticism from another fighter for apparently avoiding a showdown with a highly-rated prospect.
The 26-year-old is a two-weight world champion, having previously held the undisputed lightweight championship and the WBC super lightweight title over the last couple of years.
Haney defeated Australia’s George Kambosos Jr in June 2022 to capture all four of the world titles at lightweight, becoming the first fighter in the ‘four belt era’ to do so.
He moved up to 140lbs to challenge Regis Prograis for the WBC title in December 2023, with all three judges scoring it 120-107 in favour of Haney as he became a two-weight world title holder.
Haney’s most recent outing came last April, losing a majority decision to Ryan Garcia. The bout was later ruled a no-contest, after it was revealed Garcia had tested positive for the banned substance Ostarine, which led to ‘King Ry’ being served with a 1-year suspension and a fine of over $1 million.
It has been speculated in recent weeks that ‘The Dream’ has previously avoided a fight with Floyd Schofield, who is pencilled in to challenge Shakur Stevenson for his WBC lightweight title next month.
Speaking to talkSport, Schofield’s father and trainer reveals Haney had reportedly jumped up two weight classes to avoid facing his son, who had apparently hurt ‘The Dream’ in a sparring session.
“He buckled Devin Haney [in sparring] and Devin ran up two weight classes to get away from him.”
The 22-year-old is unbeaten in 18 contests since his debut 4 years ago. He has received high praise from many prominent figures in boxing, as he sets his sights on winning the first world title of what could be an accomplished career.
