Devin Haney Doesn’t Care About Fighter Of The Year- Who Wins?
Devin Haney has no interest in becoming ‘Fighter of the Year’ (FOTY) as his goal remains elsewhere.
The former undisputed lightweight champion missed the award last year despite winning all the belts at 135. Dmitry Bivol picked up the award following his upset win over Canelo Alvarez. This year, Haney has thrown his name into the hat once again. A victory over Vasiliy Lomachenko and then Regis Prograis to become a two-weight world champion has boosted his credentials.
Haney FOTY
However, he faces serious competition from Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue. After stopping Errol Spence Jr, Crawford became the first undisputed welterweight champion in the four-belt era. The win also made him the first undisputed champion in two weight classes in the four-belt era. Inoue achieved the same feat of becoming a two-weight undisputed champion after stopping Marlon Tapales to win all the belts at super bantamweight.
They are the top two in the pound-for-pound rankings, with Inoue at number one. Outside of those names, David Benavidez is in consideration. He has beaten two former world champions this year in the form of Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade. The wins boosted his hopes of becoming an undisputed champion as talks over a Canelo Alvarez fight continue to rumble on. But looking ahead, Haney was focused on being the best of the decade.
Haney will boost his credentials to become an all-time great if he continues to move up the weight classes and win titles. His fight with Prograis was telling because he rehydrated up to 165 pounds on fight night, showing how big he can become.
Haney’s Potential
Given his big frame, there are questions about how fast he can move up the weight classes. He has spoken about moving up to 147 as Keith Thurman and Terence Crawford were named possible opponents. Haney could go as high as 154, as his power did transcend at 140, knocking Prograis down in the third round.
At 25, Haney has achieved things that other boxing greats never did. Despite becoming all-time greats, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquaio never managed to become undisputed. Haney also became the youngest undisputed champion in the four-belt era by winning all the belts at 135. That feat made him the first undisputed lightweight champion since the legendary Pernell Whitaker. ESPN, who named him the second-best fighter behind Inoue, has recognised his efforts.
“Congrats to Devin Haney, who is ESPN’s Fighter of the Year runner-up for the second consecutive year. He’s building an incredible resume, and his ‘23 was even better with a thrilling win over Loma to remain undisputed and then a shutout over Prograis to become two-division champ,” Mike Coppinger (ESPN)
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