Tonight (September 22), at the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia, a young prospect being called “the future of boxing” by some important people will have the toughest fight of his career.
In one of the main supporting bouts of Hard Hitting Promotions’ (in association with Greg Cohen Promotions & Devin Haney Promotions) “Fight Night at The Sugarhouse” event, WBC Youth World Lightweight Champion and top-ranked amateur, Devin “The Dream” Haney (16-0, 11 KOs), will face Mexico’s Enrique Tinoco (16-4-3, 12 KOs) in an eight-round showcase.
The event is topped by Philadelphia heavyweight Joey “The Tank” Dawejko (17-4-4, 10 KOs) taking on Detroit’s Demetrius Banks (9-1, 4 KOs) in an eight-round battle. Tickets are priced at Front row VIP: $150, VIP: $100, Ringside: $65 and General Admission: $45 and can be purchased at www.hardhittingpromotions.com.
So advanced in skills at a young age was Haney, a Mayweather family associate, that he turned pro in Mexico at 16 and, at age 18, is undefeated in 16 fights. He is trained by well-respected former world champion Mike McCallum.
Haney also has the distinction of being the youngest promoter in boxing, as he also operates Devin Haney Promotions.
This is the toughest fight of your career; did you do anything differently in training?
I did the same stuff I always do. This is what I’ve prepared for my whole life, so I’m always ready.”
Tell me about working with an all-time great like Mike McCallum as your trainer.
I’ve been working with Mike for about three fights and it’s going great. I’ve learned a lot of things from him.
What do you think of your opponent, Enrique Tinoco?
I saw him fight a while back. Watched him live. He looks rugged and put some pressure on his opponent. He comes to fight, but I definitely know what to do with him. I had a lot of experience in the amateurs and have sparred a lot of great pros. I’m ready for whatever he has to bring to the able.
What’s it feel like when someone like Floyd Mayweather calls you the ‘future of the sport?’
It feels great. I worked hard for people to acknowledge me in the sport and compare me to the top fighters in boxing right now. Floyd is like a mentor to me. Both Floyds are. I just want to keep training hard an showing everybody that I really am the future of boxing. I don’t feel any pressure to perform perfectly every time though. I don’t believe in pressure. That’s all in the head. I’m just going to go in there and showcase my skills.
