Arriving in New York stopped Bill Haney in his tracks.
He considered he and his champion son Devin Haney’s path from once fighting Ryan Garcia in the amateur ranks with sparse viewership in Southern California to now filling Brooklyn’s Barclays Center for a WBC 140-pound title defense.
“This is like the cherry on top to what Frank Sinatra sang about doing it our way,” said Bill Haney, who also serves as trainer and manager of the former undisputed lightweight champion now making his first junior-welterweight title defense. “Just like Frank, we did it our way and we choose our own path.”
That’s the dividing line, as the elder Haney sees it, between how Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) is smoothly proceeding along his career at age 25 versus the turbulence that second-time title challenger Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) is enduring at the same age.
“At 25, not only is Devin undisputed, he’s worked with every promoter in the game,” Bill Haney said. “Out of all the young guys right now, Devin is the one who looks most on his way to becoming a Hall of Famer.”
The elder Haney said the freedom they’ve established to move amongst promotions allows them to pursue what he said is “absolutely” being targeted: a second undisputed reign – this time at 140.
“People must understand it’s been a monumental journey and process to get here at 25 and we get to choose whether it’s (IBF 140-pound champion Subriel) Matias, (WBO champion) Teofimo Lopez or (WBA champion Isaac) ‘Pitbull’ Cruz.
“Nothing stops Devin Haney from fighting, because at 25, he broke down the sides-of-the-streets argument. He’s worked with Showtime and Stephen Espinoza and Gordon Hall, with Bob Arum and ESPN/Top Rank, with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom and now Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy.”
And in this latest bout, it’s a renewal of Haney’s six-fight amateur series with Garcia, with the ledger tied 3-3.
The way Bill Haney sees it, this bout will be the most glaring illumination of the separation his son has achieved beyond popular social-media influencer Ryan Garcia, and, by extension, with Garcia’s father, Henry.
There’s no love lost between the fathers, with Bill Haney recalling Henry Garcia as someone who “controlled the whole sh*t” at some of the amateur shows they crossed paths at years ago.
When they reunited in Hollywood for this bout’s introductory news conference, Henry Garcia referred to Bill Haney as a “nappy head (expletive),” and the elder Haney was also labeled a pimp by the Garcia clan.
“We make (our boxing) decisions because it’s important we don’t let the industry pimp us out like Henry Garcia has let his son get pimped out,” Bill Haney told Boxing Scene.
“The biggest pimp in the whole industry is Henry Garcia, who didn’t do anything for his son except pick up a check.
“He’s not the head trainer. He’s not the manager. He’s not the attorney. He’s not anything. But his conduct got Ryan into it with his promoter, with his manager, with Ryan’s trainers. He’s had several different trainers. He’s letting everybody pimp his son out, including himself.”
Bill Haney said at 25, Devin Haney is progressing more rapidly than his former mentor, Floyd Mayweather Jr., by claiming the undisputed mantle and preparing for his latest pay-per-view on DAZN and PPV.com.
“You know, Floyd never did what Devin has done and if he could have, he should have,” Bill Haney said. “Floyd was never undisputed in his division, whether it was (reluctance to fight Antonio) Margarito or Winky Wright or making Pacquiao and Cotto wait.
“Devin is what ‘TBE’ wasn’t at 25. Never having a contract dispute with a manager or promoter, getting to the bank and pay-per-view. I don’t think Mayweather was a pay-per-view fighter at 25. We keep discussing our numbers when ‘TBE’ wasn’t that.”
And now comes Saturday, where the past meets the present on the way to what the Haneys envision as a powerful future.
“This is the fight to show our ability to be a draw, to (flex) our sales,” Bill Haney said. “It’s the fight to be on the Mount Rushmore of (current-day) boxing.”
