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Is The Devin Haney Criticism Justified?
Henrietta Wildsmith / USA TODAY NETWORK

Devin Haney believes critics were going to bash his performance no matter what when he faced Jose Ramirez, as we look at whether the criticism is warranted.

The two-division champion returned from a year-long layoff following his no-contest against Ryan Garcia to secure a unanimous decision win. Haney was dropped three times in the Garcia fight, losing a majority decision, only for the result to get overturned once Ryan failed VADA tests for Ostarine.

Haney was labeled “gunshy” against Ramirez, while Tim Bradley said he was suffering from PTSD after the Garcia fight. Haney’s fight against Ramirez was the fifth-lowest on Compubox in terms of punches landed. He now faces Brian Norman Jr., who is a knockout artist, on November 22 for the chance to win the WBO belt at 147. Haney dismissed the criticism that was coming his way.

Haney Reacts

“They’re going to say something regardless. If I went in there and got hit with a bunch of left hooks, they’re going to say, ‘He didn’t learn nothing. He’s getting hit with the same punch. If I went in there and got hit with all right hands, they’re going to say, ‘Now, he’s a sucker for right hands.’ So, they’re going to say something regardless. They make up stuff to say,” Haney said 

Haney may have a point, given how Garcia performed on his return. Ryan suffered a shocking decision loss to Rolando Romero, getting dropped in the process. Garcia was reluctant to let his hands go, which is a far cry from the fighter who had dropped Haney several times. That played into the narrative that the presence of a banned substance in Ryan’s system may have hampered Haney.

And yet, Haney also has some questions to answer. He worked with Freddie Roach and Shane Mosley for the Ramirez fight. Both are known for focusing on offense. Mosley even went so far as to state that Haney would stop Ramirez. And when he did not, Mosley made it clear that this was not his game plan. Fans understandably had plenty to say about Haney’s performance. 

This article first appeared on BoxingNews.com and was syndicated with permission.

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