Devin Haney secured a victory in his recent return to the ring, but the performance itself may have negatively impacted his reputation among peers and fans.
In his first bout since the controversial clash with Ryan Garcia in April 2024, Haney defeated Jose Ramirez via a unanimous decision following 12 notably uneventful rounds held at Times Square in New York. The fight saw Haney largely avoid engagement, spending significant time circling the ring with minimal offensive output. Despite the lack of action from Haney, his opponent Jose Ramirez was even less effective, allowing Haney to win comfortably on the judges` scorecards (119-109, 119-109, 118-110).
This was not the emphatic performance fans might have hoped for, particularly after the outcome of the Garcia fight. The 26-year-old aimed to bounce back from what was initially recorded as his first professional loss against Garcia (a majority decision defeat) before the result was later overturned to a no-contest due to Garcia failing a drug test.
A year after the Garcia fight, the nature of the win against Ramirez did little to generate excitement for a potential future rematch, at least based on the online reaction. Fellow professional fighters were particularly harsh in their assessment of Haney`s performance, with some critics joking that they ought to have been compensated for having to watch the uneventful contest.
Marcus Blakely