MORENO VALLEY, California – The question of the night in Times Square Friday will be, “What can we expect from Devin Haney?”

The boxing world is wondering and so is his opponent, Jose Ramirez.

“The beating he took is one you can’t just forget even though it was erased from BoxRec,” Ramirez trainer Robert Garcia told BoxingScene in an exclusive interview as they broke camp in Southern California this weekend. “You can’t take away the fact [Haney] took a beating.”

That three-knockdown drubbing from Ryan Garcia in Haney’s most recent bout, April 20, 2024, was notably converted from a majority decision loss to a no-contest when Garcia tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, but it leaves an uncertainty about whether Haney, 31-0 (15 KOs), can endure the type of forceful pressure he should expect at this level.

Especially against a determined former unified 140lbs champion in the 29-2 (18 KOs) Ramirez who’s out to prove that, at age 32, he can wash away the stain of a somewhat vacant showing last time out in his November unanimous-decision loss to Friday night’s 140lbs title challenger, Arnold Barboza Jnr.

“It’s always in Jose’s mind to win,” Garcia said before Ramirez’s final sparring session Saturday. “He doesn’t see it like, ‘This is my last chance, do or die.’

“He always fights with his heart, always is in shape. But there is that reality, that after that last fight against Barboza, he needs to come out and give a spectacular performance for the boxing world. Not for us, because we know him. But to the boxing world, he needs to do that something special to let them all know he’s still where he belongs.”

Ramirez has expressed enthusiasm about moving up in weight, performing on Friday’s unique outdoor stage and asserting himself as a title challenger who wants to replace Haney as the planned next opponent for Garcia in the early fall.

Garcia said what he’s seen from Ramirez in camp qualifies as “turning back the clock,” to when Ramirez impressively defeated rising challenger Amir Imam in 2018, and then stopped champion Maurice Hooker in his home state of Texas one year later to become unified champion.

“Against Arnold, no excuses, [Barboza] had a great plan and won, but this camp is totally different,” Garcia said. “Jose’s more motivated. He’s training so hard. He’s sparring like he was [in his prime]. And even when he lost [the undisputed title fight] against Josh Taylor, he had a great camp like this. The sparring partners are saying how strong he is. We feel it: It’s a totally different camp.”

There’s speculation Haney, a -1200 favorite, will be content to rely on his movement, to remain evasive and stay out of a dogfight in order to reach perhaps the year’s most anticipated bout as Garcia meets former 140lbs champion Rolly Romero before the already agreed upon Garcia-Haney rematch in Saudi Arabia.

“Devin’s going to want to box. Forcing Devin into a fight is what we need to do,” Garcia said. “Going into the next fight against someone like Jose says a lot about Haney and his dad, [trainer Bill Haney]. They made this decision because they want to show they still belong with the top contenders in the division.

“They could have easily taken someone else. They know Jose’s tough. They want to show the world they’re still up there, even though they lost to Ryan, who’s very strong and fast and caught him. Remember: that was still a good fight, still close. Haney was in the fight.”

Haney worked this camp at Hall of Fame fighter Shane Mosley’s Big Bear Lake, California, gym. There was never anything elusive about Mosley’s style, so what did Haney take from the experience?

“Everybody in boxing is wondering, ‘What Haney are we going to see?’ It’s a question we ask ourselves and don’t know. Is that beating he took in his mind? Or is it out of the way and he’s fresh from a one-year layoff?” Garcia asked.

“We’ll see. But I do know that for Devin and Bill Haney, taking this fight says a lot about them. They could’ve easily taken someone else. It’s interesting that they brought Shane Mosley into camp. I know Shane very well from the amateurs and pros. Mosley’s a great fighter, a true, smart fighter who always came to fight, so it’ll be interesting to see what Devin takes from him.”

As the Times Square card looms, so many questions hover.

How will Garcia perform after the stain of the positive tests and his erratic pre-fight behavior last time out? Can Romero recover from losing his belt? Which version of Teofimo Lopez Jnr will we see?

But the greatest unknowns are connected to Haney-Ramirez.

“For both fighters. I know Jose because he trains with us, and he’s training harder than ever, like he’s preparing for his first world title fight. Motivated, ready,” Garcia said. “I don’t know where Haney is, but I know they want to make a statement. It’s going to make for a great fight.

“I think both will bring their best because they both need a big win.”