Former WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney has become public enemy number one since he filed a lawsuit against rival Ryan Garcia. So much so that even when IBF, WBC, and WBO light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev revealed his pound-for-pound top 5 list, ‘The Dream’ became the subject of public mockery.

The unbeaten Russian Canadian is about to step into the ring against WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol on October 12th at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. However, before his mega-undisputed clash next weekend, he appeared in an interview with DAZN Boxing, which eventually would cause Haney’s name to be dragged through the mud. 

Artur Beterbiev reveals P4P top 5

The question was simple—Beterbiev was asked for his top 5 pound-for-pound best. Reflecting on his pick of top 5 boxers, the 39-year-old ranked Terence Crawford at the number one spot, which was followed by Naoya Inoue & Oleksandr Usyk in the second spot. The third spot was given to former undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez and the fourth to Tyson Fury.

However, the fans seemed to have had an issue with Beterbiev’s choice for the fifth spot, which, as you might have guessed already, was Devin Haney. Interestingly, according to Ring Magazine, the list of pound-for-pound best top 5 is not that different. However, in their list, Haney is all the way down in the 10th spot, otherwise the list is mostly similar. 

Yet the thing is, Haney was never very liked in the boxing community. Whether it’s his awkward trash-talking during the Vasyl Lomachenko fight or his latest endeavor to sue Garcia in connection to their April fight—Haney finds himself on the wrong end of public opinion. Regardless, after discovering Beterbiev’s list, fans erupted in the comment section. 

Fans think Devin Haney doesn’t deserve the spot

Artur Beterbiev’s popularity has surged ahead of his upcoming fight, largely due to his impressive record of winning every bout by knockout. This growing fanbase became apparent when one user made a last-minute switch in allegiance, just days before the fight. “My new favorite boxer, sorry bivol, f**k you n***a let’s go artur,” the user commented. Notably, despite holding more belts, Beterbiev is still considered a slight underdog in the highly anticipated matchup.

Another user wasn’t happy about Beterbiev naming Haney as the fifth-best fighter. “Bro said Devin Haney 😭,” the user lamented. This sentiment largely took hold after Ryan Garcia dropped Haney thrice before winning via majority decision last April. However, since then, the loss was turned into a no-contest, as Ostarine was found in Garcia’s system.

The next user seemed to agree with every name on Beterbiev’s list except for the last one. The user asked, “Everybody good except number five why the hell did he say Haney?” Even though Haney’s current status doesn’t reflect it, he was previously the undisputed lightweight champion and defeated several greats. 

Someone else had a similar issue with Beterbiev’s list. The user commented, “Brother was cooking then said Devin Haney 😭😭😭😭😭.” Perhaps Gervonta Davis would have been a better option. 

While the previous users wanted Haney to be removed from the list, this user took things a step further. “Devin Haney shouldn’t even be considered a fighter, let alone pound for pound top 5,” the user wrote. This user’s wish is partially granted, as Haney’s future in boxing looks uncertain, with no clear indication of who his next opponent might be.

That being said, the comments on Beterbiev’s mere mention of Devin Haney perfectly sums up how people feel about ‘The Dream’ at the moment. However, can the 25-year-old recover from this pit? Or will his boxing career deteriorate from here on out? Give us your take.