Top undefeated lightweight from the Bay area, Devin Haney is here to change the game.
“I don’t feel like I’m a prospect anymore, I feel that I’m a contender.”
The youngest promoter in boxing history will lace up the gloves and will face three-time world title challenger Juan Carlos Burgos in the 10-round main event of a ShoBox: The New Generation tripleheader tonight on SHOWTIME. Live from the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, CA, Haney understands his very unique position in the boxing industry as he sees it.
“When I got into the sport of boxing I wanted to give it my all and be the best and this is just me making all my dreams come true,” said Haney. “I worked hard for it and everything is all falling into place. A lot of champions have been built on ShoBox, unlimited champions. I built the relationship with them and I can’t thank them enough for giving a 19-year-old a shot.”
Devin Haney vs. Mason Menard: Highlights | SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION
Highlights of undefeated lightweight prospect Devin Haney as he defeated veteran Mason Menard via ninth-round TKO in the main event of ShoBox: The New Generation. #SHOSports Subscribe to the SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel: https://goo.gl/s8CWVT About ShoBox: The New Generation Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough.
Haney (19-0, 13 KOs) returns for his second consecutive challenge of 2018 on ShoBox, this time against Burgos (33-2-2, 21 KOs), a veteran of 37 fights whose only defeats have come in world championship bouts. Haney was a seven-time national junior amateur champion and has been considered one of boxings top prospects since turning professional at the age of 16 in Mexico. He faced the toughest test of his career this May on ShoBox, shutting out Mason Menard over nine rounds before Menards corner threw in the towel before the start of the 10th and final round.
Reminiscent of the brash confidence and ilk that made Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Adrien Broner notorious, Haney is more “Sugar” Ray Leonard finesse with a bankable style and measured but intentional words. Growing up in Oakland and fighting out of Las Vegas, Haney has been dubbed a prodigy having sparred with Floyd Mayweather, Shawn Porter, Jessie Vargas, and Rances Barthelemy. Co-signed by some of the sport’s greats like hometown mentor Andre Ward, Haney, who is trained and managed by his father, William Haney, received a special exception to make his U.S. debut on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley III when he was just 17 years old.
“I’ve built great relationships over time. I’ve gotten some great work just traveling an experiencing different camps. The ultimate goal hasn’t been done and that’s being world champion and pound for pound king so at the end of the day all the other stuff doesn’t really matter. Nothing can get me off my game I’m 100% focused.
“Me being a young African American athlete, I never said I want to market myself towards pop culture, it was organic and came with it. I never forced anything it all just came. My godfather Zab Judah has always been mentoring me since I was 10 years old. Floyd Mayweather has always been a mentor to me since I was 9 years old. You can always pick up something from each world champion and they’ve all helped me in my career.”
RealDevinHaneyTV Episode 15 , Devin Haney trains with Floyd Mayweather Jr and Showtime Boxing
In this episode of RealDevinHaneyTV: Showtime Boxing arrives to Las Vegas to film Devin’s training & lifestyle as he prepares for his 19th fight on May 11th, 2018 @ the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia Pennsylvania against Mason Menard.
Burgos ran up a 25-0 record with 19 KOs to start his professional career before earning a world title shot when he was just 22 years old, dropping a decision to Hozumi Hasegawa in 2010 in Japan. The Tijuana, Mexico native went unbeaten in his next seven fights, including a draw in a title challenge against then-WBO Junior Lightweight World Champion Roman Martinez.
Burgos challenged 130-pound champion Mikey Garcia in 2014, losing a unanimous decision against the pound-for-pound mainstay. He has since won three consecutive bouts from 2016-17 after taking a nearly three-year hiatus from boxing.
“This guy he’s definitely not someone to look over. He’s fought for a world title I think three different times and one of them he had a draw and I thought that he won. This guy is definitely coming to fight; he put up a great fight with Mikey Garcia and he won rounds, it was competitive, Garcia didn’t run over him and that was during a time when Mikey Garcia was knocking guys out left and right. I think guys like him are only going to make me step my game up.”
Haney is blazing a new trail in the game with a mix of Jon Jones athleticism combined with Money May’s business savvy. And he’s just getting started.
“I definitely want to look to sign some more fighters. Right now I’m working with a fighter named Darren Cunningham, he’ll be fighting on my undercard for September 28th and he’s 6-0. We’ve been working together since his pro debut, you know I turned him pro but not many people knew that I was working on getting my promoter’s license. I’m working with him and I look to sign a lot of great talent in the future.”
