DEVIN HANEY’S CAREER is potentially at a crossroads.

The fact that the 26-year-old former undisputed lightweight champion found himself in such a situation is unique, considering most fighters Haney’s age have not even come close to his achievements.

But 19 months ago, Haney’s boxing career was changed by a left hook from Ryan Garcia. Haney hit the canvas three times in the fight, which was ultimately ruled a no contest because Garcia failed a drug test.

But the damage was done. Haney’s critics debated his status as one of the best fighters in the world on a pound-for-pound basis, even though he technically had no loss.

On Saturday, Haney will stand across the ring from another youthful fighter with a risky left hook, Brian Norman, who will be looking to close the chapter on the Barclays Center conspiracy in April 2024.

“This fight is very critical because this is a guy they say is my kryptonite,” Haney told ESPN. “They say he has a left hook, he’s powerful, he’s gigantic, he’s everything. So winning is everything for me. I’ll be champion again and that’ll put me back at the top where I used to be.”

Part of the reason Haney finds himself in this situation is because his stock has dropped over the past two years with his performance against Garcia and a lackluster win over Jose Ramirez in May. A victory over Norman, the No. 1-ranked welterweight in ESPN’s rankings, would facilitate distract from the past and put Haney back at the top of another division. However, a defeat would be absolutely devastating to his career, long before he hit his prime.

The worst night of Haney’s career was salvaged when a decision loss to Garcia was ruled a no contest after Gacia tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug Ostarine. But everyone remembers the sight of Haney routinely getting crushed by Garcia’s left hook. Haney now stepping into the ring against a fighter who arguably packs a bigger punch than Garcia is either incredibly brave or terribly misguided.

“I’ll be candid, I don’t understand why he decided to fight Norman,” Sergio Mora, a former world champion turned commentator, told ESPN. “When you have the worst night of your life against Ryan Garcia and then look shell-shocked the next time you fight Jose Ramirez, why would you fight the strongest fighter in the welterweight division? That tells me Haney has something to prove and wants to silence everyone.”

“Honestly, I think he’s in trouble. But if Haney takes care of this guy, everyone will get back on the Haney train. He knows what he’s doing. I just don’t know if I agree with it.”

OVER THE PAST for several years, Haney has faced a constant barrage of criticism, no matter what he does in the squared circle or who he calls to fight. He was assigned the “email champion” tag when, after Vasily Lomachenko decided not to fight him, Haney was elevated to full champion by the WBC in 2019. Mora considers this criticism unjustified.

“He’s not the first fighter to win a vacant title, but he’s faced more criticism than anyone else,” Mora said. “But look what he did next. He went into George Kambosos’ backyard and beat him twice. Then he fought and beat Lomachenko in a close fight against a great pound-for-pound fighter. Sometimes people hate winners, and all he does is win.”

As a decorated, undefeated fighter, Haney should be a target. Instead, he relishes his role as a hunter.

“I practice what I preach,” Haney said. “I just want to fight the best fighters in the world. Everyone I called, when they said they wanted to fight me, the fight is taken… Many of these fighters don’t do what I do. They call out to each other, asking for attention and clout. I call the fighters to make the fights happen.”

And every time his stock seemed to be slipping, Haney rose to the occasion with a performance that put the question to rest. Whether it was the two one-sided beatings he inflicted on Kambosos in Australia in 2022, or the perfect shutout of former champion Regis Prograis the following year, Haney has always managed to silence the doubters.

“I don’t know and I don’t care,” Haney said of the criticism leveled at him. “All I want is to keep beating the best players in the world. I’ve achieved a lot, I’m still youthful, but I’ve been at the top for a while and I plan on staying here for a very long time. They can say what they want and I’ll keep doing what I’m doing.”

However, for every Kambosos and Prograis performance there is the Garcia-Lomachenko fight that once again calls into question his pound-for-pound status and makes people question whether Haney is as good as he claims.

“People love to hate me,” Haney said in a 2023 interview with DAZN. “I don’t know what it is. I accept it now. What can I do? I’m me.”

HANEY is both brash and flashy outside the ring. And while he’s a technically proficient fighter, he doesn’t necessarily excite him in the ring, drawing comparisons to the all-time great Floyd Mayweather. However, this style depends largely on winning and remaining undefeated.

“He has followed the path of Mayweather’s resume over the last few years, fighting champion after champion,” Mora said, referring to Haney’s fights with Joseph “JoJo” Diaz, Jorge Linares and Yuriorkis Gamboa. “Like Mayweather, he’s also more of a boxer than a puncher. He may not be gifted with strength, but he’s willing to deal with hefty punches. Sometimes people hate guys who can box at the highest level. But if you’re going to fight like that, live like that, and look flashy, be prepared to be criticized because people can’t wait to see you lose.”

Former welterweight champion Shawn Porter believes that the way Haney presents himself in public is not consistent with his in-ring performance.

“The criticism comes because he presents himself as someone else and people call him names and demand that he be who he says he is,” Porter told ESPN. “He’s brilliant and presents himself as flawless, but there are still a lot of questions Devin Haney hasn’t answered.”

Haney was anointed as a member of this era’s “Four Kings” along with Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Teofimo Lopez and Garcia (Shakur Stevenson was also around). Their collective development can be compared to the legendary quartet of Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns and Roberto Duran, whose Hall of Fame careers overlapped in the 1980s. Unfortunately, the foursome of that era didn’t live up to that theme like their predecessors, who fought against each other for years. So far, Haney has only fought Garcia. In addition, the “Four Kings” had distinctive features that made them stand out. Despite everything Haney has accomplished, there is no description that can be attached to the youthful champion.

He’s not a defensive wizard like Stevenson, nor does he have the devastating power of Davis. He doesn’t have the reflexes and brilliant counter-attacks of Lopez, and he doesn’t match Garcia’s hand speed. It’s “straight up and down, no special effects,” as Mayweather would say. A jack of all trades and a master of none. However, what is not necessarily observable to the naked eye is precisely what makes Haney unique.

“His greatest quality was instinct, but that may be something he doesn’t have anymore,” said Porter, who sparred with Haney years ago. “His secret power was that he instinctively knew what to throw, when to throw and how to move. He lost a lot of that when he fought the wrong fight with Garcia. His ego got the better of him and he forgot who he was. He has to rediscover that when he fights Norman.”

Haney was a prohibitive favorite to fight Garcia, but admitted he fell victim to mind games due to Garcia’s pre-fight behavior. Although his opponent failed to make weight and was later ejected for PEDs, Haney was unprepared for the one thing everyone knew Garcia would throw: a left hook.

“Not knowing how to properly prepare became his worst enemy, as did his ego,” Porter said. “He has all these tools and he instinctively knows what to do. But what happens when those instincts don’t work? What happens when the basic game plan doesn’t work or when he goes against his instincts and fights outside of the game plan? Greatness is going the extra mile, but I don’t know if he has it in him.”

Mora believes Haney is still “shocked” by the Garcia fight and “afraid of getting hit,” which is a terrible combination ahead of a fight with a powerhouse puncher like Norman. But that danger is what Haney said excites him about the upcoming fight. Haney is not one to run away from a challenge, and the fight with Garcia taught him a valuable lesson about himself.

“You don’t know if a player can take a hit until he actually gets hit, and you don’t know a player’s heart until it’s tested,” Haney said. “And when they examined my chin and my heart, I showed up. I got up off the floor not once, not twice, but three times. And I fought. I didn’t run away. I fought like a warrior and if I was going to go out that night, I was going to face my shield.”

MORA AND PORTER they disagree on whether Saturday’s game will be a crossroads battle for Haney. Mora doesn’t think the defeat will erase everything Haney has accomplished, while Porter believes that how Haney chooses to fight Norman will determine how he is perceived in the future. Both agree that while winning will get the proverbial monkey off your back, the risk may outweigh the reward.

“You don’t want to give people even more fuel to criticize,” Mora said. “If Norman wobbles him but wins, there will still be question marks. He has to be great, almost perfect.”

Porter praises Haney for getting into the ring with a risky champion who isn’t a household name when he could have opted for a gentler touch.

But a gentle touch just isn’t Haney’s modus operandi. Instead of running away from danger, he would rather face it and see what it has to offer.

“A lot of people are afraid of the unknown,” Haney said. “What if I get hit? What am I supposed to do? The world knows what I’m going to do. I know what I’m going to do. It’s like a weight off my shoulders knowing I’m able to get up when I fall, and knowing I have a chin. The way I beat Brian Norman, I think a lot of people will have to give me that credit.”

And if he doesn’t, he will continue to chase greatness to prove them wrong, because that’s just the Devin Haney way.