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Devin Haney has revealed he 'lost confidence' in the immediate aftermath of the Ryan Garcia controversy - an episode that shook boxing earlier this year and left the former undisputed lightweight champion rebuilding both his momentum and his belief in the sport’s safeguards.
Haney and Garcia met on April 20 in Brooklyn, where Garcia shocked the world by dropping Haney three times and earning a majority-decision win. That result was overturned in June, when the New York State Athletic Commission officially changed the bout to a no contest after Garcia twice tested positive for the banned substance ostarine, from samples taken both the day before and the day of the fight.
Garcia was suspended for a year, fined, and forced to forfeit his purse; Haney’s undefeated record was restored.
But while the paperwork cleared his ledger, Haney says the psychological damage was real.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Sport, Haney said: 'I think I lost my confidence and changed as person after the fight. It was initially a loss so of course you lose confidence. You get discouraged and then you find out the guy has tested positive for PEDs. So much happened in that one night, it was a lot to process. It definitely changed me. I think it changed me for the better though.
'I think it made me a better person. It made me a better fighter. And now I am looking to bring all that experience with me into the ring on November 22.'
Devin Haney (above) revealed he 'lost confidence' in the aftermath of the Ryan Garcia scandal
Haney was beaten by the American in April before the bout was later recorded as a 'no contest'
Garcia was suspended for a year, fined, and forced to forfeit his purse after twice testing positive for the banned substance ostarine both the day before and the day of the fight
For Haney, the confusion of fight week - Garcia missing weight by 3.2 pounds, the knockdowns, the initial defeat, the later revelations - created an emotional storm that forced him to reset everything. And in his mind, the only way to prove he has moved forward is to take on the biggest challenge available.
This Saturday in Riyadh, he faces exactly that: 24-year-old, unbeaten Brian Norman Jr, 28-0 (22 KOs), who defends his WBO welterweight crown after announcing himself as a major American force with a dominant win in Japan in June.
Haney, now 32-0 (15 KOs), is attempting to become a three-weight world champion, but he enters with real questions hanging over him after two underwhelming performances against Garcia and Jose Ramirez.
Haney says choosing Norman Jr was deliberate. He says he wanted to take on a heavy hitter to prove his confidence is back.
'This is the type of fight I wanted and me taking a fight like this just proves the type of fighter I am. I want to fight the best fighters in the world. I want to test myself, and I want to show how good I really am. They have said a lot of things in the build-up and Brian Norman has said that he knows how to beat me. I am going to show him that he can't beat me.
'He is the best guy at 147 right now and that's why I want to fight him. I want to be the man of the division like I once was being welterweight champion. So, that's why I am taking on the best guy. That is why I want to fight Brian Norman and put on a show on Saturday night.'
But the Garcia fiasco didn’t just dent Haney’s confidence, it dented his trust in the sport. He says he now approaches drug testing with a level of seriousness he didn’t previously believe was necessary.
He said: 'We go above and beyond to make sure the testing is in place for months and months. We get the most stringent testing possible, VADA. We are just doing our best to make sure we're on an even playing field.'
Haney reveals that he wanted to take on a heavy hitter to prove his confidence is back
He takes on unbeaten Brian Norman for the WBO welterweight crown in Riyadh on Saturday
Turki Alalshikh has publicly criticised 'Tom and Jerry' match-ups, bouts where one boxer avoids exchanges while the other chases, and vowed to remove them from his fight cards
That mistrust helped fuel one of the biggest storylines of the Haney–Norman build-up: the dispute over when pre-fight testing should begin. Norman Jr’s team asked for testing to start on August 1, after the champion returned from a July holiday, but Haney insisted it must start immediately - leading to VADA testing Norman while he was still away.
Haney says his stance was shaped directly by what happened with Garcia.
'We definitely learn from the Garcia situation. From now on, we will always make sure the testing is as extreme as possible. I am being tested year round. I'm not only being tested when I have a fight scheduled. I am being tested when I am on vacation, when I am here, when I am there. They are hitting my up at all sorts of times to come and test me.
'I just want to be the example for fighters coming up. I want to help cleanup boxing and make sure that everyone's on an even playing field as best as I can because boxing is a dangerous sport. You can't mess around in a sport like this. It's important everyone is clean'.
Beyond the controversies, Haney knows there is also a spotlight on how he fights. Turki Alalshikh has publicly criticised 'Tom and Jerry' match-ups - bouts where one boxer avoids exchanges while the other chases - and vowed to remove them from his Saudi fight cards. After a outing from Haney last time around, many expect him to show more aggression this time.
He promises exactly that.
'I want to outdo myself. I want to put on a dominant victory. Not just a victory, I want to win in dominant form. And this fight is not any different. I want to win, and I want to look good doing it.'
Saturday’s co-main event, on a card headlined by David Benavidez vs Anthony Yarde and featuring four world-title fights, is being billed as a major moment for both Americans. Norman Jr wants to cement his status as the top dog at 147 pounds, while Haney wants to show he is still one of the most skilled boxers of his generation.
