Devin Haney has a mandatory challenger waiting patiently, but there are a few things he wants sorted before stepping through the ropes again.
The former undisputed lightweight champion vacated his belts and moved up to 140, beating WBC titlist Regis Prograis in his debut to win the belt.
Haney then set about putting it on the line against Ryan Garcia, but the latter missed weight by 3 pounds after a manic fight week performance and could not compete for the title. Despite that, the fight went ahead and Garcia dropped Haney three times on his was to a majority decision win, massively upsetting the odds.
To add to the rollercoaster rivalry, it was then revealed that Garcia had tested positive for banned substance Ostarine the day before and the day of the bout.
He has claimed contamination but, with a positive B-Sample confirmed, will have to make present sufficient evidence to the New York State Athletic Commission.
Bill Haney, Devin’s father and head coach, has now told ESPN that his son will not negotiate any fight until Garcia’s doping case has been heard, ruled upon and Haney’s professional record updated accordingly. Although the most likely result for the champion would be a No Contest, he has previously said to be pushing for a DQ for Garcia thus adding another win to his campaign.
Haney’s demands come after Top Rank was the only promotional company to put money down in the purse bids for his mandatory defence against southpaw Sandor Martin.
The fighter expressed distaste with the amount that secured the rights – $2,420,000 – and hinted that he may vacate instead. He also had a dig at Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn for not bidding, despite not being in a contract with him and deciding to remain a free agent with options.
The 25-year-old has stayed he may take a two-year break from the sport – the duration of a potential ban – before rematching Garcia.
