Boxing Update: Devin Haney Runner-Up in ESPN’s Fighter of the Year Contest; Know Who Came First Shattering Haney’s Dream for Second Consecutive Year

He went beyond what was expected of him last year. But this year, the world could barely afford to ignore him. For the second year in a row, ‘The Dream’ came true. While the world takes notice of the phenomenon called Devin Haney, ESPN, in recognition of his achievements, honored him as the ‘Fighter of the Year Runners-Up.’

This marks the second consecutive time that Haney has received this prestigious award. Last year, he outfought and outboxed George Kambosos Jr., right in his backyard, to become an undisputed champion and defend it as well. This year, he followed it up by defending his titles against the technical genius Vasyl Lomachenko. The fight did raise a few questions. However, ‘The Dream’ silenced all the doubters with a resounding victory over Regis Prograis. ESPN’s Mike Coppinger shared a few insights in an early morning tweet today. The network also shared the boxer who took away the first-place honors.

Devin Haney and… The Best

Last year, after schooling Canelo Alvarez in front of a huge Mexican crowd at the T Mobile Arena, Dmitry Bivol defeated, until then, unbeaten Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez to become ESPN’s Fighter of the Year 2022. While congratulating Devin Haney on repeating the feat, Mike Coppinger said that he has created an outstanding undefeated track record. He had been more impressive this year, especially after the win over Lomachenko.

Then, after defending his undisputed title successfully for the second time, he climbed up a division to challenge Regis Prograis. What he did at the Chase Center was nothing short of a pure masterclass. Coppinger said, “Congrats to Devin Haney, who is ESPN’s Fighter of the Year runner-up for the second consecutive year. He’s building an incredible resume, and his ‘23 was even better with a thrilling win over Loma to remain undisputed and then a shutout over Prograis to become two-division champ.”

However, one should not be surprised, as ESPN named the ‘Fighter of the Year 2023.’ As he defeated Marlon Tapales early this week, Naoya Inoue created history. After Terence Crawford, he has become the second man to become an undisputed champion in two divisions. Only that the Japanese prodigy’s accomplishment comes barely 12 months after he became an undisputed champion for the first time.

Moving to the super-bantamweight division early this year without wasting much time, Inoue dispatched the highly regarded Stephen Fulton to grab his WBC and WBO belts. Five months later, he knocked out the tough Filipino to win over the WBA (super), IBF, and the vacant Ring belts. Now, as the ‘Fighter of the Year,’ Naoya Inoue has added another feather to his cap.

Fans expect 2024 to be the year when Devin Haney will become one of the ‘faces of boxing.’ Negotiations have reportedly kicked off for a potential bout with Ryan Garcia. Nevertheless, the young light welterweight champion finds himself with a myriad of enticing options. Some of them might set the stage for some significant paydays.

Read More: Undisclosed Fight Purse; How Much Money Will Devin Haney Make For Fighting Regis Prograis?

What’s your take? Do you think Devin Haney’s award is justified? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

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