Is Devin Haney still ‘salty’ with his loss to Ryan Garcia? It seems so. The American boxer hasn’t really come to terms with his defeat and how it affected his career. A public image shredded to a low and a meager payout for his future fights. Not to mention the mental agony. But is he still hung over it? That’s what Teofimo Lopez Jr.‘s father and coach, Junior Lopez, believes.
Ever since ‘The Dream’ saw himself hit the canvas three times against ‘KingRy’ in April, his stocks have plummeted, and as a result, he failed to attract beyond $1.4 million for his WBC mandatory defense with Sandor Martin. So, he decided to persist with a lawsuit to reclaim his authority. However, if the Lopez family lynchpin’s words were considered, the WBC champion couldn’t digest his loss and was yet to move on from it. Lopez spoke his heart out and threw shade at him in conversation with Fight Hub TV.
The American coach declared, “I think it’s just a person that can’t take the loss, like, you know, and just step ahead to the next fight. I think that it was just really bad, you know. And he just can’t wake up every day, you know, and see himself in the mirror, you know. ‘Cause nobody likes to lose, especially the way he lost. So, you know Devin is Devin, so Devin’s going to do what Devin does.”
The looming question is whether Haney, 25, would stick to the lawsuit or move on with his career and take up his fight. Interestingly, he has another option in Liam Paro, who dislodged Subriel Matias, and due to his contract with Matchroom Boxing, this could be a lucrative option for him. Meanwhile, Garcia, 25, has a year to reflect on his career as he has to serve a year-long ban. He avoided a lengthy ban and a hefty fine. Amir Khan was slapped with a two-year ban when he tested positive for ostarine, too. So, how did that happen?
Lopez Jr., 26, knew Garcia, at 24-1, was supposed to get a two-year ban, but his legal team worked out a solution with the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC). Not only was his ban reduced to one year, but he also received a lesser fine of $10k, along with a forfeit of his $1.2 million fight purse. Stressing the importance of “staying clean,” ‘The Takeover’ said, “A year suspension, it was going to be two years. Obviously, his team and his lawyer team definitely found a way to decrease the suspension.”
In addition, the WBO champion left it to Garcia to decide how to devote his time during his one-year layoff. As Garcia plans his time off the ring, Lopez Jr. has decided to walk the unification fight. After his defense against Steve Claggett, he wishes to go up against one of the champions at 140. Will it be Haney, Paro, or a familiar foe in Vasiliy Lomachenko? We’ll find out soon.
