Devin Haney says he’ll be the “New Face of Boxing'” after he defeats Ryan Garcia on April 20th, but is he fooling himself?
The leaked 30K PPV numbers for Haney’s last fight against WBC light welterweight champion Regis Prograis on DAZN last December suggest that he’s not nearly popular enough to kick the current ‘Face of Boxing,’ Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, off his throne to take his spot as the King of the sport.
Can Ryan Be the Launchpad?
Beating Ryan Garcia on April 20th, it probably won’t be nearly enough for Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) to take over the top spot as the ‘Face of Boxing.’ The problem is, Tank has already whipped Ryan, and he’s only fought once since, beating a scrub recruited from the bottom of the 135-lb weight class.
To take the top spot from Gervonta, Haney will need to beat him and a lot more killers. It looks like a tough road for Haney, who has no power and uses the scared, Shakur-esque fighting style, making it nearly impossible for him to achieve the popularity required to become the star.
Haney will need a complete make-over with his fighting style, giving up on his Shakur style of fighting and becoming more of an entertaining brawler. How can Devin do that when he lacks punching power?
Who’s Waiting? A Murderer’s Row
For Haney to become the new ‘Face of Boxing,’ he’s going to need to introduce himself to the main population, putting his tender backside on the line, facing these murderer’s row killers:
- Gervonta Davis
- Subriel Matias
- Shakur Stevenson
- Abdullah Mason
- Jamaine Ortiz
- Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis
- Terence Crawford
It’s unlikely that Haney will attempt to fight any of those guys, as he’s more of an opportunist type of fighter when it comes to selecting his opponents. The fastest way for Haney to become the new ‘Face of boxing’ would be for him to go up to 147 and take on Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.
That’s an easy fight to make, considering there wouldn’t be any problems with deciding the weight. With Haney rehydrating to 165 lbs, he’d be more than big enough to face Boots Ennis at 147.