As boxing fans may have heard or read by now, Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney will fight in August, the fight to be a catch weight showdown at 145 pounds which will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. And while this is a darn good match-up between two skilled operators, there is some fan concern that the fight could turn out to be a boring affair, a snoozer.
Why? Because Haney’s last fight, his decision win over Jose Ramirez, has been called one of the most boring fights in recent memory (to be fair, the fight that took place the very next day, between Canelo Alvarez and William Scull, might have been even worse). And it’s not just fans that are worried the Devin-Teo fight could be boring – Oscar De La Hoya is also concerned.
De La Hoya doesn’t hold back on Haney’s style
Speaking with Fight Hub TV, De La Hoya said he thinks the August fight could prove to be a “great fight,” if only Haney “doesn’t run.”
“We all know how it’s going to look. I think Devin’s going to obviously get on his bike, unless he doesn’t because Devin has a style that can walk you down and chop you down and knock you down, so I don’t know why he runs so much,” De La Hoya said. “He has the ability to fight like a Mayweather, stay there in front, angles, side to side, he’s special, he’s got talent but he has to stop running, people don’t like that. Devin versus Teo is a great fight, but not if Devin runs.”
Will Haney fight or run in August?
It’s kind of tough to disagree with what De La Hoya has said here. Haney does have great skills, and he can fight when he has to. Or at least he could fight when he had to. How much did that beating at the hands of Ryan Garcia (a beating but not an official loss, the result changed to a no contest due to Garcia’s failed drugs test) take out of Haney, mentally more so than physically?
Some people do feel Haney is suffering from PTSD as a result of his multi-knockdown defeat at the hands of Garcia, and that he will never be the same fighter again. Judging by the Ramirez fight, during which Haney looked almost scared to get touched, this could be the case. But hopefully not. Hopefully, Haney had a bad night against Ramirez, while against Lopez he will have a good night. And the two rivals will give the paying fans something worth tuning in for.
Who wins when Haney and Lopez get it on, and will Haney “run” on the night?
