By: Hans Themistode
Devin Haney’s skills were hailed long before he turned pro in 2015. So far, the incredibly talented 135-pound belt holder has lived up to the hype.
With Haney about to take on the role of George Kambosos Jr. for the remaining three lightweight titles, the 23-year-old star believes he will receive worldwide recognition. However, even if Haney earned his spot at the top of 135 pounds, he didn’t believe he should be considered the best boxer in the world. In his opinion, Canelo Alvarez rightfully won that title.
“Yes,” Haney told a group of reporters as Alvarez was the best boxer on the planet right now. “Yeah sure.”
Like Haney, many people in the boxing world share his beliefs. Over the span of about 4 years, Alvarez has risen and fallen in many weight classes, winning countless world titles along the way.
In 2018, Alvarez recorded quality victories over Gennadiy Golovkin and Rocky Fielding. In the process, he added the WBA and WBC middleweight titles and the WBA “Regular” super-middleweight championship to his collection. In 2019, Alvarez won another middleweight gold, before moving up to 175 pounds to strip Sergey Kovalev of the WBO belt.
From 2020 to 2021, Alvarez has planted his flag firmly on the foundation of the super-middleweight class. The Mexican star will spend the next 12 or so months cutting short the reigning world title of every belt holder, en route to becoming the undisputed champion.
For a bout, Alvarez will challenge WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol on May 7. If his departure is successful, Alvarez is expected to face Golovkin at 168 pounds, before being able to switch to cruiserweight to close out another strong year.
Considering Alvarez’s tendency to challenge world champions in multiple weight classes, Haney continues to sit back in fear. With the Mexican star willing to constantly fluctuate in weight, Haney had no choice but to name him boxing’s top man.
“He can go up and down, up and down, and still prevail, I take my hat off to him.”
