Former undisputed lightweight world champion Devin Haney did his part on Friday night at Times Square in New York City as he easily defeated former unified titleholder Jose Carlos Ramirez by unanimous decision.
After 12 rounds of their bout, which was fought at a 144-pound catchweight, Haney earned the decision by scores of 118-110 and 119-109 twice.
If Haney and Ryan Garcia, who lost to Rolly Romero in the main event, had both won, they were slated to fight in the fall in a rematch of their fight in April 2024, which was ruled a no-contest after Garcia tested positive for the banned PED, Ostarine.
Haney, who strategically utilized a lot of movement throughout the fight, said he executed his game plan.
“I felt good going into the fight, and the game plan I worked on definitely showed,” said Haney. “I handicapped him. He couldn’t do anything in there.”
Both Haney (32-0, 15 KOs) and Ramirez (29-3, 18 KOs) engaged in a tactical battle, with a surprisingly low number of punches thrown. In fact, according to CompuBox, Haney and Ramirez combined for the fifth least amount of punches thrown in a 12-round fight, with Haney throwing 214 and Ramirez 285. Haney would outland Ramirez 70-40.
While Haney’s win over Ramirez may have been less than perfect, it opens up exciting possibilities for his future matches. The potential rematch with Garcia, a fight against Teofimo Lopez at 147, or even a match with Romero all promise to be intriguing events.
Like Garcia, Haney might have had some rust, and there’s hope that he will be more comfortable and better in his next fight.
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