It only took one night for Devin Haney’s career to be turned upside down.

Before his fight with Ryan Garcia on April 20, Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) was ranked among the best in the world – undefeated former undisputed lightweight champion who was the first to defend the WBC 140-pound belt.

The drama began when Garcia, who had spent most of the promotion, seemed more more concerned with his social media status than his fight preparation, he came in at three pounds over the junior welterweight limit. But then on fight night, the hard-hitting Mexican The American surprised the boxing world by knocking down Haney three times on his way to a points win. win.

Garcia’s shine was quickly dimmed when his test for performance enhancing drugs. The fight result was changed to No Contest.

Despite this, Haney’s name has not reappeared on the pound-for-pound lists and his reputation remains uncertain. marked by what happened on that fateful night. So what should the 25-year-old Haney’s next move be? In search of answers, BoxingScene spoke to three of the world’s best, highly respected trainers Stephen “Breadman” Edwards, coach of Caleb Plant and Julian Williams, among others. others; Bob Santos, 2022 Coach of the Year by Sports Illustrated and Ring Magazine; and 2002 BWAA Coach of the Year James “Buddy” McGirt. Here’s what they had to say:

THOUGHTS ON HANEY-GARCIA

“Devin Haney is a great fighter, a really good athlete, very well trained. He is I took harder and harder fights. It’s rigid to really say about the Garcia fight because of all the extra circumstances that surrounded it. I don’t know if it was on equal terms or not. So I don’t really have an opinion on that fight.”

“Haney is an incredible fighter and what he has accomplished at his age is unmatched. too many have done that in this sport. I think he showed a lot of heart against Ryan Garcia. I was surprised by the fight because he was overwhelming favorite to win. It would be one thing if he lost the fight, but seeing being knocked down and seeing how he hurt himself, I think we all were in some way thrilled.

“We had a situation where Garcia didn’t make weight. On top of that, he tested positive and regardless of whether you accepted it voluntarily or not, you are responsible for everything that happens your body. So it’s just a bad situation for everyone involved.”

“I didn’t watch the fight, I only saw clips. But I think he just needs to do a little changes, nothing sedate. And I think it will be fine.”

HAS YOUR OPINION OF HANEY CHANGED SINCE THE GARCA FIGHT?

“No, because anyone can lose. After the fight I was of the opinion that he has a lot heart. Honestly, that’s what I thought. I saw how hurt he was at the beginning and how he stayed in the fight, he kept getting up and fighting. It was a tough fight, even though “he was knocked down three times.”

“No, I still think he’s a great fighter and I think he’ll continue to win world titles. At the end of the day, he fought a guy who missed weight and tested positive for drugs. So I think if someone says that he’s against Devin Haney and that he’s not as good as we thought, hey, anytime someone uses performance enhancing drugs, and competing with someone else, it’s not a level playing field. So if you have “I have a different opinion of him because of this, it’s really melancholy.”

“No, I think in boxing or any other sport sometimes you need something like that, assist you make changes so that when you move on and find yourself in the same situation again, you know how to handle it and deal with it.”

CAN SUCH A FIGHT HAVE AN IMPACT ON A BOXER’S PSYCHOLOGY?

“Sure, he can. It depends on how mentally sturdy Devin is going forward and how no matter how much he lets the criticism get to him, it can definitely affect him in the future if he is not mentally sturdy. First of all, he should stay away from social media – Twitter and everything related to it this kind of stuff because fans and all critics can get very rude to us fighters. The second thing I would do would be to get him back in the ring if he is cleared to fight by doctors. I think fighters in this era lose the fight and don’t take part ring too long. They have so much time to think about it that it affects them a lot worse than in other eras.

“Emanuel Steward is a coach known for his ability to get players back on their feet after tough losses. It is worth noting that Tommy Hearns was one of the best boxers in terms of returning to form after loss. And Lennox Lewis got knocked out by Hasim Rahman and Manny brought him right back in an immediate rematch. Devin should get back in the ring, beat someone up and get the bad taste out of his mouth after the Ryan Garcia fight.”

“Sure, psychologically. That’s what it’s all about: the setbacks he had to go through, the kind of punches he was taking that night. And of course, we’re all human. So in the back of your mind, the next time you step into the ring, you’re definitely thinking, is the next guy I fight going to test positive too?

These are factors that need to be taken into account. So it will need to be very sturdy focused on moving forward. It’s not going to be an straightforward thing to do, but if anyone can do it, it’s Devin Haney. He’s a sturdy kid. He’s had success being so teenage and going overseas to Australia and so on.

“So if anyone can do it, it’s Devin Haney. He’s been through a lot of adversity. He went overseas, you know, he turned pro in Mexico. So, he’s been down that road before and I’m sure he’ll overcome it. But any worse type of person or worse attitude, you know, can really end a guy’s career because some guys just never recover from a loss.

“No, I personally believe that Haney will mature after this fight and become better fighter. I think it can affect some fighters, but I don’t think it will affect him. I just think mentally he’s in a different category as far as wanting to get back to the top. He’s determined to be great, so when you have to get that kind of determination, they just won’t let up. They’ll come back and they’ll be better than they were before.”

THOUGHTS ON FIGHTS WITH TEOFIMO LOPEZ, SHAKUR STEVENSON AND GERVONTA DAVIS

“It’s rigid to say because I have to see what he looks like in camp. He’s coming back from three knockdowns fight. I can’t say now because I don’t know what he looks like and things like that. Honestly, it’s rigid to say.

“I would like to see him in a comeback fight before I can judge how he will look against three of the best fighters in the world.”

“A fight with Teofimo would be a great fight. If Teofimo’s power can reach Haney, I would say wins. If not, I would support Haney. So whoever can implement their gameplan wins. I’d like to see that.

“As far as Haney vs. Shakur, I prefer Devin Haney. I just don’t think Shakur is large enough boxer who was supposed to hurt Haney, and I think Haney has better legs than Shakur.

“I don’t think anyone’s ever beaten Tank. I’ve been a professional boxer for over 32 years. I think he’s one of the best I’ve ever seen. Gervonta Davis isn’t just a puncher, he’s an underrated boxer. He’s the total package. He can do it all. I’m a huge fan.

“Pound for pound, he’s one of the best fighters in the world, not just in his weight class. He’s incredible. I’ll say it again, incredible fighter.”

“You know, that’s my business. I think he should go back and balmy up fight before he jumps into the large guys. I think he should have a warm-up fight first and get back on track. That’s my opinion. Go back to the drawing board and work on things, and then you struggle to work on what you’ve worked on. But I think Tank should fight Shakur and then the winner will fight Haney. I won’t pick a winner

Tank-Shakur. I’ll just sit back and enjoy it. For me, it’s a pick ’em fight. I think Haney can compete with anyone. He just needs to get back on track.”

CAN HANEY ACHIEVE SUCCESS AT MIDDLEWEIGHT?

“If Devin fought Mario Barrios, he would have the stylistic advantage and the speed advantage and we see that speed is causing Mario problems with Keith Thurman and Gervonta Davis. But we’ll have to see what Devin would look like if he got hit by a 147-pound shell. But that’s about when the fight would take place. If Devin had a year and a half break and come back and fight Barrios, you know it’s a bit different than taking first a warm-up fight or two. Circumstances matter a lot.”

“I’m training [WBC welterweight world champion] Mario Barrios. We were in the ring with Haney before and sparred with him. We know him pretty well. I think it would be a great fight.

I think Haney can be successful at 147. It might even be better for him because then He doesn’t need to lose that much weight because he’s a large guy and he’s getting older.”

“When you move up to 147, you should have a warm-up fight at that weight before you start testing. water first. He has the ability to do it, but you’re testing the waters to see how you’ll do weight and how you feel about it, because there’s a lot of stuff in it. So I think if he If he did it the right way, he would be successful, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it.”

WHO SHOULD HANEY BEAT NEXT?

“I don’t have a specific person, but it should be a warm-up fight, you know, in the next few few months, and honestly, I’d like to see him rematch Ryan Garcia.

Like they started, you know, if they did drug testing 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you know, and they… he came up with a fair weight for both of them to fight. I would like to see him fight Ryan Garcia, but he passed exacting drug testing.

“But let me tell you: Devin’s team did a great job with him. Whatever decision this will probably be the right one, because they’ve already made some great ones decisions about his career. But I would probably take a warm-up and a smaller fight and get rolling backwards. But if you take a year off, people won’t want to see you warming up. They “I want to see you in a large fight.”

“I would take at least eight months off, maybe a year. It could be good in four or five months, but when you have that kind of talent and you’re that teenage, why take that risk? It was a very physical fight. I would give my body time to heal, I would let it get better. I would be careful.”

“Anyone between 140 and 147, even 143-144. Take someone with a decent record, decent name and see how it feels at that weight. If you feel good then take Next step.”