Contending there was an unwritten but implied agreement for Teofimo Lopez to fight Devin Haney if anything went wrong for Ryan Garcia, Haney’s father, manager and trainer Bill Haney is pressing for Lopez to fulfil his duty and agree to a match pitting a pair of two-division champions.
“It wasn't in writing, but it was understood,” Haney told BoxingScene. “It was understood that we talked about it, and that’s what [Saudi Arabia boxing financier] Turki [Alalshikh] is doing right now. They reached out to [Team Lopez] to make the fight happen. But they’re quiet. So guess what – I reached out to you.”
Since his WBO 140lbs title victory over the previously unbeaten Arnold Barboza Jnr on May 2, that immediately preceded Haney’s evasive triumph over the former 140lbs unified champion Jose Ramirez at New York’s Times Square, Brooklyn’s Lopez 22-1 (13 KOs) has called out the unified welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis and also referred to the four-division champion Terence Crawford with a racial epithet.
“What's wrong with them?” Bill Haney asked. “Why do they act like Devin didn’t win his fight – that Devin didn’t shut out Jose Ramirez? All the chatter is over with and guess what? Devin has beat seven world champions – not secondary world champions. He beat seven of them at 26 years old; is the youngest to do it. He is the most accomplished fighter out there, right? And he's with Turki and Ring Magazine.
“So why would Teofimo Lopez come out and act like he’s looking for ‘Boots’? I thought you was looking for the big-money fight? That's what you complained about your whole career – that you wasn't able to earn the right and now you go into the racist bag to draw attention, but now there's nowhere where else to run and no place else to hide. I wanna know what you've been scared of. This is the ultimate grudge match and y'all running from it.”
The former lightweight and 140lbs champion Haney 32-0 (15 KOs) was subjected to a wealth of criticism for his performance against the fading Ramirez. Many observers saw it as an indictment of the former champion being shaken by his fight in 2024 with Garcia when he suffered three knockdowns in a fight that became a no contest when Garcia later tested positive for the banned performance-enhancing drug ostarine.
Haney is regardless intent to rush back to another significant bout given that a planned rematch against Garcia in the autumn has been perhaps permanently delayed by Garcia’s loss via decision to the former 140lbs champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero in the main event on May 2.
“Ryan Garcia – he's uncertain right now and that's what happens when you don't have the additives and preservatives that you had in there against Devin Haney,” Bill Haney said. “You end up with uncertainty, and until he gets back in the ring with Devin and clean, then it will forever haunt him. He will never know who he really is in the ring as a fighter. We know what we can do and we know what we've overcome. Devin Haney is the key for Ryan Garcia to get over any other demons that's haunting him, you know, because he could've had an off night against Rolly Romero. but he had a night that will forever haunt him against Devin Haney because he cheated us and won. That no-contest will forever haunt him.”
Garcia’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya recently told BoxingScene his fighters will never again fight Haney, because he’s proven in the Ramirez fight he will run from activity and engagement.
Bill Haney has countered that some fights are won with a “West Coast offense”, and others are won by defense.
“Devin told me he will beat Teofimo for all the disrespect he has uttered, to tell him, ‘Take it back’ every round and take back every word he’s said disrespecting the culture,” Bill Haney said. “He knows Devin is going to be a punishment. There will be no more Teofimo Lopez; just like there’s been no more JoJo Diaz; [Vasiliy] Lomachenko; [Jorge] Linares; Regis Prograis [other beaten opponents and former champions beaten by Haney).
“That’s what we’ve done and that comes from Bill Haney. [Lopez is] picking people and barking up the wrong tree.”
Bill Haney insists Lopez-Haney is a far more lucrative fight than Lopez-Ennis.
“I know [Lopez] said ‘No’ the other time it was on the table,” Bill Haney said. “Now that it is officially on the table again, he's quiet or maybe [he came] out and said something racist as a flex, but Devin Haney is on his ass.”
The elder Haney encourages Lopez to look wisely at who stands as his most formidable and intriguing next opponent.
“I'll tell him to look at the Rolls-Royce, look at the Maybach – he’s seen it; he seen the Mercedes 4x4 in New York that you know cost a few hundred thousand,” Bill Haney said. “He watched him get out of it in New York. Don't act like you didn’t watch, and don't act like that you’re not worried about the money.
“Don't ever again in life complain about money or complain about you not having an opportunity to be the fighter that’s been there. We’ve beat pound-for-pound guys; we’ve traveled across all the water; we got all those things right; show different styles; we shut motherfuckers down. We did everything and that's a clear indication of why Lopez wants to play these games, but let me tell you one thing about Devin: we've always been the hunters. We're not the hunted.
“He's not dodging us; he’s exposing himself and exposing how good Devin is.”
Lopez didn’t immediately respond to text messages sent to him by BoxingScene.
Bill Haney also said that his son can be ready to fight as early as August.
Devin Haney is training to recover for a bout that could occur as early as August, his father also said.
“It's the ultimate grudge match that has to happen and there's no better person that I have faith in than Turki Alalshikh to deliver this, because if Turki can't deliver this, then we gotta pray to God because God will be the only person right that we can go to after Turki,” he said.
“I’ve instructed Devin and Devin wants every round he's in the corner with Teofimo Lopez to tell him to, ‘Take it back; take it back’. Take the word back; take it back out. I want him to beat him and never say that ‘N word’ ever again in his life.
“He won't mention nothing. He won't even use the letter ‘N’ ever again in his life after death and get through with all the shit that he’s done in the past with a grudge match like this. It’s personal.
“Devin told me he will beat Teofimo for all the disrespect he has uttered, to tell him every round and take back every word he’s said disrespecting the cultures. He knows Devin is going to a punishment.”