Devin Haney’s moment was too big for him. After dealing with the smack-talking Ryan Garcia before the fight, he faltered via majority decision. For Devin Haney, the spotlight was too big.
There’s a song that talks about this situation, where it talks about a rapper facing the harsh truth of reality.
“His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy,
There’s vomit on his sweater already, mom’s spaghetti,
He’s nervous, but on the surface, he looks calm and ready,
To drop bombs, but he keeps on forgetting,
What he wrote down, the whole crowd goes so loud,
He opens his mouth, but the words won’t come out,
He’s chokin’, how? Everybody’s jokin’ now,
The clock’s run out, time’s up, over, BLAOW!”
If you don’t know where those lyrics are from, they are Eminem’s timeless classic, “Lose Yourself.” It talks about a rapper who collapsed under the pressure, leaving embarrassed and shamed. It explains Haney’s situation perfectly, where he stammered across the ring in his humiliating loss. It’s as if he forgot how to fight.
Where Does Devin Haney Go From Here?
Luckily for Haney, his WBC super lightweight belt wasn’t on the line since Garcia missed weight. Therefore, he’s still the champion. However, the loss provided the blueprint for beating the San Francisco native. Overpowering him with hooks and catching him off-balance is the winning strategy.
On the note of the belt, that’s where Devin Haney should start. Focus on polishing up his footwork and build up his leg strength. During that Garcia fight, Haney looked like he was relying on his top half, which doesn’t bode well for the champ.
He should also focus on building his in-ring confidence back. Whenever Garcia landed a thunderous left hook on the champion, he stammered back and fell. After the hook, he didn’t know what to do, showing his loss of confidence.
A Chance For Devin Haney’s Growth
For Haney, this is a good opportunity to tweak his weaknesses and better himself. He might’ve lost the crowd after his subpar performance. However, the San Francisco native can still become a force in boxing.
It’s just a matter of believing in his ability and executing. Haney is still a good boxer. He just had an off-night where nothing clicked, along with being caught off-guard by Garcia’s overwhelming power.
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