Shawn Porter says Devin Haney looked almost like his ancient self before knocking down Ryan Garcia during his victory over Brian Norman Jr. last Saturday evening.
Porter states that on November 22, Haney (33-0, 15 KO) showed a “fresh version of himself” in his 12-round unanimous decision victory over WBO welterweight champion Norman Jr. He says that if there is a Haney-Garcia rematch in 2026, he will beat Ryan.
In the rematch, Garcia (24-2, 20 KO) will have to clear the hurdle of fighting WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on February 21, 2026. If he loses to Barrios, the Garcia-Haney rematch will likely not happen unless Turki Alalshikh wants it.
“He stepped into the ring and changed his mind. I think he showed a fresh version of himself, a better version of himself,” said retired two-time world champion Shawn Porter. Fighting Hub TVtalking about what he saw of Devin Haney during his victory over Brian Norman Jr. November 22.
Porter sees Haney’s performance against Norman Jr. something the average fan hasn’t seen. They saw Devin only land 70 punches in the entire fight. Of that total, 32 of them were jabs and only 38 were power punches.
That’s three difficult punches per round. Does this low number qualify as Haney “flipping the switch” and showing improvement from his previous, timid performance against Jose Ramirez on May 2? Devin only landed 70 punches in this fight as well.
Porter is an example of a person who sees what he wants to see. If you want a player to look great, you will look for things that are not there and falsely believe that you are seeing improvement.
“Hopefully he’s closer to being Devin Haney before those knockdowns with Ryan Garcia,” Porter said. “I’m going to favor Devin in the rematch. This was before PEDs [information was learned]. I said Devin would beat him in the rematch. I know what I was looking at. He [Haney] he made a mistake.”
The pre-Ryan Garcia version of Haney was not an offensive player. He could punch and move, as he showed against Jose Ramirez and Norman Jr. He looked better against 35-year-old Regis Prograis because he was fighting an older guy who wasn’t a good fighter to knock him out. However, in fights against Vasily Lomachenko, Jorge Linares and George Kambosos Jr. he looked as bad as he did after the fight with Ryan.
“He stepped into that ring. His opponent [Ryan] he said, “Meet me in the middle of the ring.” Every round you did what your opponent wanted you to do instead of what you were supposed to do,” Porter said.
The reason Haney was injured multiple times in his match against Ryan Garcia wasn’t because of his mistake. He got injured because he tried to initiate clinches frequently. Devin was getting into Ryan’s wheelhouse when he wanted to grab him and hold him.
Kingry had an excellent left hook that worked well against a fighter who was over-clinching. Norman Jr. and Ramirez did not have this weapon. So Haney got away with having their crime overturned. He won’t be able to do that in the rematch with Ryan unless he breaks his gun-holding habit.
Ken Woods was a senior writer in Boxing News 24 since 2013, covering sports from every angle. With years of reporting from the ring, he delivers fight news, results and analysis that cuts through the noise. Ken’s work consistently focuses on champions, challengers and prospects, giving fans a edged and informed view of the global boxing scene.
Filip Hrgovic made it basic for Dave Allen and took advantage of the moments after the fight to send a chilling message to rising star Moses Itauma.
Doncaster fans were unable to lift hometown hero Allen to the level of Hrgovic, who dominated from the opening bell until coach Jamie Moore threw in the towel to spare his players another day.
Croatian Hrgovic quickly apologized to the fans in the stadium.
“I’m sorry guys. I know I’m not the favorite guy here. That’s the way it is, that’s boxing. Thank you to Dave Allen, his team, Queensberry and DAZN for this event. I’m pushing forward to become the heavyweight champion of the world.
“I started quickly because I saw all my punches connecting. He was very awkward from the beginning, so I wanted to finish him quickly to make a statement.”
“I want to fight anyone in the division. Moses, anyone. I just have to sit down with the manager and the team, see if there are any injuries or cuts. Give me a mirror, I’ll sign a contract now… I never run away from any opponent… Listen, if I’m fit, there’s no problem for me. We have to see what’s going on. I need to rest. Moses will never make it to the promised land. Do you know what I mean?”
Promoter George Warren has made it clear that Itauma-Hrgovic is the target, but he is aware that the next few days will be crucial to see if the schedule is right for the Croatian, who had a miniature cut on his skin before going to the towel.
“Yes, we can… This fight is already here. Finished. Filip, when he re-signed with Queensberry, was left on the contract on the basis that this fight was one of the options we could offer him. As he said, he has a slight scratch in his eye and he needs to go and make sure everything is OK.
“Moses is booked for August. As soon as we get back to the office next week, that’s my job. To finish and announce this fight. This guy is a world-class operator and if Moses wants to be world champion, Filip wants to be world champion; they’re going to have to deal with it at some point, so let’s deal with it now.”
Welterweight Kelvin Davis (16-1, 8 KO) escaped with a split decision victory over Peter Dobson (17-4, 10 KO) after a hard-fought 10-round fight that drew noisy boos from the crowd after the result was announced. The judges scored it 99-91 and 97-93 for Davis, while the third judge scored it 98-92 for Dobson.
Davis boxed effectively early on, using his jab, foot movement and reach to keep Dobson out and gain the advantage in the early rounds. Dobson had difficulty getting close enough to land consistently in the first half of the fight as Davis remained disciplined and chose areas with cleaner strikes.
Dobson had more success in the second half of the fight, getting inside and landing to the body. As the action became increasingly brutal and physical, Davis spent more time on the ropes and in clinches.
Dobson’s aggression and work in the middle helped put an end to the fight, and a few delayed rounds proved challenging to score. Davis continued to land enough pointed counters and straight shots to convince the two judges that he had done enough to secure the victory.
Many fans online and in the arena reacted negatively to the decision, especially due to the wide score of 99-91 in favor of Davis. Several unofficial scorecards indicated that the fight was much closer together, and some viewers felt that Dobson did enough to force a draw or provide an advantage in the decision.
The Mexican icon lost his undisputed super middleweight title that night, his first defeat in the division, but now he hopes to win one of the belts outright when he challenges fresh champion Mbilli on September 12 in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.
Confirming the news, Alvarez said:
“After so many years in this sport, my motivation is still the same: to challenge myself, represent Mexico and continue to build my legacy.
“Mbilli is undefeated and he’s a great fighter and I respect that. But my focus is always on my preparation, performance and giving the fans another great night of boxing.
“On September 12 in Riyad, we start a fresh chapter with the same discipline, ambition and vision that have accompanied me throughout my career.”
Mbilli secured the WBC interim belt by defeating Maciej Sulecki in June 2025 and regained it after an engaging draw with Lester Martinez on the Canelo vs Crawford card. When Crawford retired, the 29-0-1 Mbilli was elevated to full champion.
The fresh champion announced the “fight of the decade” in his own statement.
“My last fight was the fight of the year. In September against Canelo Alvarez, it will be the fight of the decade. And when the fight is over, the world will witness my historic victory.”
The fight will be the culmination of the gala titled “Mexico vs. the World”, and details of the card will be revealed at the press conference opening the gala, which will be held next week in Egypt.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.