Devin Haney finally has some ammo to fire back. The light welterweight ‘champion in recess’ has often become a favorite target for trolls. Especially the latest development that saw him filing a lawsuit against archrival Ryan Garcia appears to have sharply divided fans. Many criticized him for pursuing the route instead of resolving the matters in the ring. The former undisputed lightweight champion has yet to return to the ring since the April 20 bout against Garcia.

Now elevated to the pantheon of boxing greatness, Artur Beterbiev faced a simple poser. His response might have surprised many. But to Haney’s ears, it was music. Deeply motivated, he seized the opportunity to fire back at the naysayers who continuously deny him a rightful place on the legacy page. Though he might have dropped hints, nevertheless, as of now there’s no clarity on The Dream’s tentative return.

Devin Haney: I’ll come out on top

Actually, Devin Haney appears to have picked up a pre-fight interview with Artur Beterbiev. DAZN Boxing shared a clip featuring the new undisputed light heavyweight champion selecting his top five pound-for-pound best boxers in the world.

“I think it’s Crawford first,” responded Artur Beterbiev. However, finding it difficult to choose between Naoya Inoue and Oleksandr Usyk, he decided to put them together in the second place. The third slot was reserved for the Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez. Tyson Fury followed thereafter. Coming to the fifth tier, he said, “And number five, Devin Haney.”

So it was ‘The Dream’s turn to launch his response. Mocking the notion that ‘Twitter trolls’ possess far superior knowledge in boxing than someone like Artur Beterbiev, he confidently assured that one day he would occupy the place that Terence Crawford currently holds.

Definitely, Haney deserves a pat on the back for keeping up a high morale despite the kind of ordeal he went through.

Navigating within and outside the division

But otherwise one might ask—what could the way back in for ‘The Dream’?

Soon after the Garcia fight, the title defense against Sandor Martin appeared. But following the purse bid issue, the matchup invariably slipped away. A sound discretion would suggest Haney returning with a relatively easy fight that will help him regain his bearings.

Probably after that, he could go after the division’s remaining title holders. Incidentally, a few weeks ago, talks of fighting with the new IBF champion Liam Paro surfaced, but nothing significant developed afterward. When checked, the Australian champion reportedly held Haney responsible for the fallout. “I wanted that fight for a long time. He outpriced himself, asking for silly money. He doesn’t bring a belt to the table, so we just moved on. We could tell he wasn’t serious,” Paro told Fight Hype during an interview.

The next alternative could be Teofimo Lopez. The two have a history, with Haney’s father once labeling their fight a ‘grudge match’. But with ‘The Takeover’ talking about fighting Terence Crawford and hinting at a shift to 147 pounds, the chances of a matchup occurring anytime soon seem unlikely.

Not much on Jose Valenzuela, though. It could be because ‘El Rayo’ seems more focused on the rematch with Isaac Cruz for the time being. So, is there a chance Devin Haney may eventually fall back to a faceoff against Sandor Martin? Fans will be eagerly watching out.

Do you agree with Artur Beterbiev’s pound-for-pound list?