Devin Haney returns to action soon against Jose Ramirez in a big fight in New York and has his eyes on other fighters in divisions nearby.
He knows he can’t take his eye too far off the ball from his own fight, though.
Last weekend his rival Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis drew with Lamont Roach in NYC in some controversial circumstances.
Devin Haney went into detail on that and other topics in boxing while speaking to The Ring:
[Ricky]:
Ricky here for The Ring. I’m here with none other than Devin “The Dream” Haney. Devin, we’re in New York, getting ready for your fight against Jose Ramirez on one of the biggest cards this sport has ever seen. How are you feeling right now?
[Devin Haney]:
I’m excited—I’m really excited for it. I’m thrilled to be back in the ring and to face Jose Ramirez. This has been my longest break from boxing, so I can’t wait to show the world everything I’ve been working on—how much better a fighter I’ve become over the past year, how much I’ve matured in that time. I can’t wait, man.
[Ricky]:
You’re coming back, and you’re not taking an easy fight. Jose Ramirez is a rough, rugged former unified champion. You called him “rugged” in the little interview you just did earlier. What do you have to do to keep him off you and get that win?
[Devin Haney]:
You know, he is a rugged opponent. He’s not an easy fight on paper, but it’s up to me to make the fight look easy—to use his weaknesses against him, to turn his pressure against him. We know he’s coming to fight, he’s coming to bring pressure. So, I just need to showcase all my skills—everything I’ve got—against a tough fighter, someone who comes forward. I want to show the world I’m an even better Devin Haney than I was before.
[Ricky]:
Yeah, it’s been some time, man—since April. I think everyone’s excited to see you back. But the obvious question: Ryan Garcia’s in the room, right? Is it hard to stay focused on the task at hand with Jose Ramirez when you know you want to get back to that fight? And then you’ve got Teofimo Lopez, Rolly Romero—all those other storylines. How do you stay zoned in?
[Devin Haney]:
If I don’t win this fight, I don’t get to those other fights—especially the Ryan fight. So, my main focus right now is Jose Ramirez. Not just beating him, but going in there and looking good doing it. The whole world will be tuning in—they want to see which Devin Haney shows up. I’m looking to make a statement, show the world I’m back and even better. Then we’ll see what’s next—we’ll look at that Ryan fight and shift our focus to it. But right now, it starts with Jose Ramirez.
[Ricky]:
For sure. The press conference is coming up in a few hours—I think it’ll be really interesting having you all on the same panel. What’s going to happen? I know you’re focused, but if someone comes at you sideways—whether it’s Ryan, Teofimo, or Rolly—what’s the vibe?
[Devin Haney]:
Jose Ramirez is my opponent—that’s my main focus right now. I’m not getting side-tracked or taking my eyes off the prize. I’m keeping my eyes on my food, and right now, Jose Ramirez is my food. That’s all I care about.
[Ricky]:
For sure. I wanted to get your thoughts on other guys in the sport. Shakur Stevenson just fought last week in Riyadh, and Tank Davis just fought too. Let’s start with Shakur—how would you grade his performance?
[Devin Haney]:
It’s hard for me to grade because anybody can look good against a guy like that. It’s not hard to shine against him—he’s not championship level, not a proven fighter. So, it’s tough to really judge that performance. He did what he was supposed to do, and I think any other top-level guy would’ve done the same.
[Ricky]:
I saw you on Twitter talking about how, if Turki Alalshikh presents the right money, you guys would fight anyway. Talk about that.
[Devin Haney]:
Yeah, that’s a fight I’ve always wanted. I wanted it a couple of years ago when I was at 135 pounds—it would’ve been my last fight at that weight. His team didn’t want it—they didn’t like the offer and came up with this or that excuse. But now we’re here.
[Ricky]:
Finally, your thoughts on the Gervonta “Tank” Davis situation—his fight against Lamont Roach. What’s your assessment, and what do you think about the knockdown that wasn’t called in round nine?
[Devin Haney]:
I thought it was a good fight overall. I knew Lamont wasn’t coming to lay down—I’ve known him since we were kids, coming up in the amateurs together. I knew he was serious and would come to fight. He did a lot better than I thought he would—I personally thought he won the fight. But yeah, that no-knockdown call? That was unheard of—the first time I’ve ever seen it with my own eyes.
[Ricky]:
You made some comments—I saw you wanted to see the backflip. I’m surprised Tank didn’t clap back at you about that.
[Devin Haney]:
Hey, I was just speaking my opinion on it—everyone’s got one. That’s all.”
A lot to take in there.
First off, Haney is focused on his own fight and he is damn right to be.
Jose Ramirez is no joke and will be bringing the heat and all the fire in the world come fight night on Friday May 2nd.
In a bill that will also feature Teofimo Lopez and Ryan Garcia too — in a first ever big time boxing event at Times Square — tremendous times ahead.
As for his comments above on the Davis fight, he is of course entitled to his view on the subject.
The sheer controversy it has caused, that moment in round nine last weekend, is quite extraordinary.
One of the talking points of the year in boxing so far.
If boxing can make the immediate Davis vs Roach rematch and then a Ryan Garcia vs Devin Haney rematch later in 2025 (provided both win on May 2nd) — boxing will have done good this year.
