Devin Haney talks recent controversy, stacked lightweight division and more

WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney goes 1-on-1 with Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole to respond to questionable comments he made recently about Vasiliy Lomachenko and what he learned from his misstep.

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KEVIN IOLE: Hey, everybody. I am Kevin Iole. Thank you for joining me. And I love talent no matter what it is in. And today I got one of the great talent in boxing. And I always love seeing great young fighters. This guy reminds me of Floyd Mayweather in 1998. And I don't say that too easily, because Floyd Mayweather in 1998 was a special fighter. And so, too, is the WBC lightweight champion of the world Devin Haney. Devin, how are you, my man?

DEVIN HANEY: I'm doing great. How are you doing?

KEVIN IOLE: I am doing awesome. Well, first of all, let me ask about your health. I know after your last fight, you had shoulder surgery, you had to be on for a while, you became the WBC champion emeritus. What happened in the fight to injure your shoulder? And how do you stand right now?

DEVIN HANEY: Well, first off, what happened in the fight was, early in the fight, I told my dad, my coach, I told them that, you know, my shoulder-- I think I hurt my shoulder a little bit, but it was just something minor, it was just hurting a little bit. And as the fight went on, I continued to throw my right hand. And one time I threw my right hand, and I missed, and that's when the shoulder completely came out of the-- came out. And I tore my labrum.

KEVIN IOLE: Oh.

DEVIN HANEY: So when it came out, it was forced back in, so when it was forced back in, that's when it damaged everything. It didn't go in correctly, of course, so it damaged all that. But, now, I'm perfectly back to health.

KEVIN IOLE: Was it forced back in during the fight, like, did your dad or somebody--

DEVIN HANEY: No, it just-- you know, just in the clench and stuff like that, it just-- it just went back in.

KEVIN IOLE: How long, how long did it take you before you felt comfortable throwing punches and being able to do, you know, do what you had to do?

DEVIN HANEY: It took me about three and a half to four months until I was able to even throw one punch.

KEVIN IOLE: Mm. The one thing about you, I mean, you know, your speed, especially your hand speed, I mean, you're quick, and good feed, and the whole nine yards, but your hand speed is so important to you. When it happened, did you ever have that worry, like, is this going to affect me long-term, or were you confident all the way?

DEVIN HANEY: Yeah, most definitely, when it happened, I was, like, you know, what if I'm never the same? You know, you hear about people who get injuries, and then they continue to get injuries, or they just come back and they're never the same, or they just can't come back from it, you know. So I continue to think that, you know. And it started to get to me mentally, because, you know, you're just sitting in the house, you can't do anything, you can't really go anywhere, you just-- you have nothing but time to think.

But, you know, now that I'm back. And [AUDIO OUT] how, you know, how back to normal I am, I see that, you know, that I'm OK. I'm very happy with, you know, how it went.

KEVIN IOLE: So you're lucky in a way that we've had this quarantine thing going on with the pandemic, because you wouldn't have been fighting anyway, so you didn't really fall behind from the surgery.

DEVIN HANEY: Most definitely. I was actually supposed to be fighting in March, and that's when the pandemic had started. So it's crazy that it actually worked out in my favor. I wouldn't have been fighting. And now I'm still not fighting, but it's not because-- that's not because of an injury, and everyone else is not fighting, so I'm not really getting behind.

KEVIN IOLE: You're not falling behind those guys. Now, I want to ask you a couple of things. But let's start with, I think 35 is an unbelievable division with Lomachenko, and Gervonta Davis. You can call him an old guy, but, you know, he's been around for a couple of years, you know, at the top. And then Teofimo Lopez, yourself, and Ryan Garcia, kind of the young guns, you know, right below them. When you look at this division, do you think it's the best in boxing?

DEVIN HANEY: Honestly, I do. I think between the heavyweight division, and the lightweight division, those are the two, you know, most exciting divisions right now. You know, with the heavyweights you have the top heavy weights, Joshua, Wilder, Ortiz, Fury, you know, and a few other guys that's not on those guys' level. And then in a lightweight division you have so many great fighters, you know, and so many matchups to be made. I think lightweight may have the edge, to be honest with you.

KEVIN IOLE: Who is the guy, when you look at the 135 pound division, who is the guy you want? Is it Loma? Or is it Teófimo. Teófimo, I know every time I talk to him, you know, your name always comes up. We discussed you at length at some point. Who is the guy long-term that you think is the big rivalry with Devin Haney?

DEVIN HANEY: I think the big rivalry long-term is me and Ryan Garcia. But I think the fight, you know, for my legacy, and for people to know that I am the top guy in the lightweight division is Loma.

KEVIN IOLE: So, you know, obviously, I'll have to ask you about your crazy comments that you've made about Loma. And I even tweeted to you after you said, you know, no white boy is going to beat me. And I tweeted you, and I said, I know you're not a racist, but that was not a really smart thing for you to say. You know, what do you say to people who were, maybe, your fans and they're not your fans anymore after they heard you say something like that?

DEVIN HANEY: I mean, at the end of the day, you know, you can't be liked by everyone, and I understand that. Everyone is not going to like me. Before everyone didn't like me, and I understand that. Of course, I don't want to-- I'm not a guy who, you know, wants to go out there and just say, you know, F everybody, I don't care about my fans, I don't care about my supporters, because at the end of the day, that would be a lie. You know, I want as many fans and supporters as possible. But I can't control what people think about me.

Some people are, at a young age, you know, your parents always teach you, you know, some people are going to like you, some people aren't going to like you, but you can only be yourself, and I understand that. You know, so it is what it is.

KEVIN IOLE: Your dad, Bill, your trainer is also one of the best people in boxing. I mean, I know he's a really good guy and everything. Was he-- when he heard what you said, was he unhappy with it? Did you have a conversation with him about what happened?

DEVIN HANEY: I mean, yeah, of course, you know, I did, but, you know, I think a lot of people took it the wrong way. You know, they were trying to, you know, paint this picture like I was some type of racist-- racist, or something like that. You know, the people that know me, come on now, you know me, I'm not racist at all, I'm not even-- I don't have a racist bone in my body.

KEVIN IOLE: I never thought you were, right? But I will say this, it sounded like it in that moment. Like, I don't think you are, and I give you a pass for it, because I know that you make a slip, but it did sound that way.

DEVIN HANEY: My little brother-- my little brother is half white, my little sister is half white, you know, so it's, like, come on, this is my-- this is my blood.

KEVIN IOLE: Right.

DEVIN HANEY: You know, this is-- my step mom is white, you know-- so she raised. This lady that raised me, and she cooked for me every single day, so there's no way that-- my team, my whole team is diverse. So the people that know me, they know that.

KEVIN IOLE: Sure.

DEVIN HANEY: You know? And, you know, but it is what it is. Could I have said that differently that, you know, no one in the world will beat me, nobody would beat me, no race would beat me? Yeah, of course, you know. But, you know, of course, I'm not perfect. You know, everybody, everybody, you know-- it's hard to be, you know, 100% on--

KEVIN IOLE: Right, I understand.

DEVIN HANEY: Yeah, you know, it's hard to be--

KEVIN IOLE: And you're in a-- and you're in a tough spot. I mean, I don't want to beat you up over that. And so I want to move on, because I give you a lot of credit. You apologized right away. You did the right thing. And so I think, you know, you deserve credit for that. Let's talk about, first of all, Lomachenko, he's going to fight Teófimo. You know both guys. How do you think that fight goes? Do you think Teófimo has a chance to beat Lomachenko?

DEVIN HANEY: I think, you know, Teófimo's a big puncher. You know, he's showed it in his fights. Loma is a very smart boxer, you know, with-- he has a high IQ, and, you know, has experience in there. I think it'll be a great fight. Do I see Teófimo beating him? No. But if he wins, would I be surprised? No.

KEVIN IOLE: One of the things I've said, Devin, and I wonder what your take on this is, is that the sooner the fight happens, the better it is for Lomachenko, the longer it goes, and Lopez gets some more rounds, and gets a chance to be, you know, work on his weaknesses in the gym, that it would be better for him. Do you feel that way? Or do you feel like, just given the styles that the two fighters have, that Loma is going to beat him more often than not.

DEVIN HANEY: I mean, I think that-- well, I mean, it's shown, you know, time after time that time waits for nobody-- we can't stop father time, so if Loma waits too long, eventually time will catch up to him, and somebody will beat him no matter who it is. So, of course, if he waits, it'll be better for Teófimo, or anybody else. You know, father time waits for no one.

KEVIN IOLE: You know, I find it interesting that you said Ryan Garcia would be the big rivalry. Is it because you think ultimately he's going to be the best of the young guys, you know, including Gervonta in that group? Or do you think it's just because, you know, your amateur background, and kind of the personal rivalry you built up?

DEVIN HANEY: I think it's more of a personal rivalry. You know, the fight is being built up. The fight has been being built up since we were young, since we-- before we even turned professional. So, you know, just to see how it's growing, how the fight is growing, and how it's looking, I think that that will be a huge fight.

KEVIN IOLE: Hey, I am impressed with what Eddie Reynoso has done with him. I kind of thought before he went to Reynoso, I wasn't that impressed with what he was doing in the ring. Great job on Instagram, great job making himself popular, but I wasn't so impressed by what he was doing in the ring. But it seems like since he went in with Reynoso, there was a marked difference in his footwork, and the quality of his work. Do you see any difference in him, or do you think it's the same old Ryan?

DEVIN HANEY: Yeah, he's getting-- he is getting better. Every fight he's looking better and better. So, yeah, my hat's off to Eddy Reynoso, and, you know, the Canelo team.

KEVIN IOLE: Do you feel like, you know, Eddy Reynoso got hired the other day as Andy Ruiz's trainer, and sometimes, you know, you get too many guys, right? Your dad is working with you, and he's exclusively with you, and Teófimo's dad is with him, and Lomas' dad's with him. And now you got Eddie Reynoso, he's got Canelo, he's got Andy Ruiz, he's got Oscar Valdez, he's got Ryan Garcia. Do you think that at some point he may get too overloaded, and that could start to impact the fighters?

DEVIN HANEY: Yeah, I mean, it just depends, you know, every trainer is different, you know, some people can juggle that, some people can't. I think that it won't be too much for Eddy. I've been watching, you know, how he trains his guys, and everyone is there at, like, different times. No camps really, like, really merge in. All those guys are training at, really, like, different time periods when one fighter is off, then another fighter is on. So I think, you know, he's looking like, you know, he's focused on each guy individually at one time.

KEVIN IOLE: What are you and your dad doing right now, now that you're able to do some work and everything? Are you doing-- you know, just staying in shape? Are you doing skill development? What's going on in your training camp?

DEVIN HANEY: Yeah, well, I actually have a gym in my house, so I've just been training-- training here at the gym. We've been working on-- well, we've been looking at different opponents who we may possibly fight, and studying them, and working on styles to beat, you know, some of my rivals in the lightweight division.

KEVIN IOLE: How-- how high up in the top 10 is going to be next for you? You know, are we going to see an elite guy, or do you think it'll be one more, you know, kind of just-- kind of get your feet wet since it's your first fight back after a shoulder injury?

DEVIN HANEY: I mean, you know, the world has been seeing I've been calling these guys out for a while now. I've been begging for the top flight. So, hopefully, you know, my next fight, I can get one of the top guys.

KEVIN IOLE: Have you talked to Eddie Hearn about these other guys? One of the problems that I hate in boxing is all this, you know, everybody's on a different side of the street, and I look at you guys, and you got, you know, two guys with top rank, you've got one guy with his own, and you've got another guy with a PBC, so everybody's all over the place. Is that a concern or a problem that, you know, because of the political issues that you may not get those fights?

DEVIN HANEY: Yeah. I hate that as well. I hate that, you know, there's different sides of the street. I don't think that should be involved. I think the best should be fighting the best for the fans, and we should be able to make these big fights happen with no problem, but I think that, you know, it's getting better now. It's starting to get better. Everyone's starting to seem to entertain working with each other. So hopefully, you know, when all this is over, and everyone [AUDIO OUT] this could be a wake up call, and be hungry to make these big fights happen.

KEVIN IOLE: That'd be awesome. One last thing I want to ask you about, you know, I noticed you-- and you sparred with Floyd Mayweather. You post a lot of pictures with him. What kind of trainer do you think Floyd's going to make? He talks about he's going to get in there and start training fighters. I think Roger worked with you a little bit, right? What do you think, you know-- no one-- Floyd's a genius as a boxer, right? But he's so great, is he going to be able to transfer that over to other fighters, in your opinion?

DEVIN HANEY: I mean, I think that is possible. And not-- just because you're a great fighter, that doesn't make you a great trainer. But I do think that is very much possible for him to be a great trainer. You know, he knows so much. You know, he's still-- you know, he hasn't been retired that long. So, you know, he still knows a lot. He's still in shape. And maybe, you know, maybe you know, one day we will get to see.

KEVIN IOLE: What's the best advice he has given you? Like, you know, and I know I'm sure he's talking about the business side. Is there one thing that you can point to that you always think of that Floyd said to you that you'd keep with you?

DEVIN HANEY: I mean, Floyd just always tells me to be smart in the ring, you know, to take as less punishment as possible. So that always-- when I go into my fights, I always think, you know, just take as less punishment as possible. You know, you don't always have to be in a dogfight, you don't have to, you know, go in there, and, you know, rock them, sock them each time, you know, it's about taking as less punishment as possible. The name of the game is to hit and not get hit.

KEVIN IOLE: Right. And that's what he was great at. I mean, he had the fast hands when-- when he was younger, I remember him when he was younger, before you were born, and he was an unbelievable offensive fighter. You know, people don't-- people think of him as a defensive fighter. He was terrific offensively. I think maybe you're kind of the flip-flop, you're a great offensive fighter, we see your defensive skills starting to develop now.

DEVIN HANEY: You said-- you said in 1998. That's the year that I was born. So [AUDIO OUT] so yeah.

KEVIN IOLE: No doubt. Well, Devin Haney, 24 and 0, 15 knockouts. Absolutely one of the best young fighters in the world. You're going to be seeing this face for a long time on top of the boxing world. I appreciate you joining me, my man. Thank you very much.

DEVIN HANEY: Yes, sir. Thank you, Kevin.

KEVIN IOLE: Absolutely.

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