Devin Haney‘s next fight looks all set for this summer.
He appeared to be lining up a rematch against Ryan Garcia, after the pair originally met in April 2024 and ‘King Ry’ won the fight by unanimous decision.
That result was overturned to a no contest after Garcia failed a drugs test, but the pair returned in separate fights last month looking to claim victories that would pave the way for their next meeting.
Haney held up his end of the bargain by defeating Jose Ramirez on points, but Garcia suffered a shock defeat to Rolly Romero, which threw the rematch into doubt and seemingly left Haney needing to find a new opponent.
That opponent has now been found, as he is set to meet the other man that competed on that Times Square card, WBO super-lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez.
Lopez beat Arnold Barboza Jr on that bill to retain his belt, but the clash against Haney is penciled in to take place at a 145lb catchweight on August 16.
There has been plenty of bad blood between Haney and Lopez already, and Devin’s father Bill has told Boxing Scene that his son is planning to ‘punish’ his upcoming opponent.
“Devin told me he will beat Teofimo for all the disrespect he has uttered, to tell him, ‘Take it back’ every round and take back every word he’s said disrespecting the culture.
“He knows Devin is going to be a punishment. There will be no more Teofimo Lopez; just like there’s been no more JoJo Diaz; [Vasiliy] Lomachenko; [Jorge] Linares; Regis Prograis [other opponents beaten by Haney]. “[Lopez is] picking people and barking up the wrong tree.”
Lopez has come under fire recently for racist remarks, which he denied.
One man who has made his thoughts clear on the fight is Oscar De La Hoya, who believes that Haney must alter his style to make it more of a fan friendly bout.
