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Could Freddie Roach be the key to unlocking Devin Haney's full potential in the ring?

What’s next for Devin Haney? No one quite has the answer to that question! However, ‘The Dream’ recently took to his Instagram story to share some pictures, which revealed a fresh development in Haney’s life. What’s this development? Well, the former undisputed lightweight champion is training in the Wild Card gym, established in Los Angeles, California, by renowned trainer Freddie Roach in 1995.

Haney is coming off his devastating defeat at the hands of Ryan Garcia, where the San Francisco native was dropped three times. However, the NYSAC overturned the loss to a no contest after banned substances were found in Garcia’s system during the fight. Despite that, Haney was definitely affected by the entire ordeal, so when fans discovered the pictures from Roach’s LA gym, they pleaded with Haney to continue their partnership. 

New hope amid boxing downtime for Devin Haney

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Hours after Haney shared the pictures on social media, Boxing Kingdom picked up the pictures and shared them on X with their followers with the caption, “Devin Haney training in LA with Freddie Roach, earlier today”. Interestingly, since Garcia’s doping debacle, Haney’s stocks have seen a severe downturn, at least in terms of purse bids.

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The thing is, he was supposed to face Sandor Martin, who was his WBC mandatory, but Top Rank was the only one who placed a bid on this fight. The bid itself was way less than what Haney has come to make from his fights. So, he refused to fight Martin, and the WBC declared him a champion in recess, which is a nicer way of saying he was stripped of his title.

Anyway, since then nothing much has happened around Devin Haney, as he had claimed he would take a break from the sport previously. Haney was spotted in the Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov fight, where he looked a bit overweight, which is to be expected since he is not fighting. However, after Haney shared these pictures on social media today, fans erupted with their opinions! 

Freddie Roach is armed despite a personal setback

What’s your perspective on:

Could Freddie Roach be the key to unlocking Devin Haney's full potential in the ring?

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Freddie Roach, most known for his role in Manny Pacquiao’s rise to supremacy, has also trained the likes of Miguel Cotto, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Andy Ruiz Jr., Daniel Jacobs and many more. And Haney himself had trained for a short time with Roach before his bout against Regis Prograis last year. So, seeing the duo training together again, one fan had high praise for the 65-year-old Hall of Fame trainer, suggesting Roach has a wealth of knowledge to give and it can only do good for Haney to be in the gym. Notably, Roach suffers from Parkinson’s disease, but the legendary trainer is actively involved in training boxers.  

Another user seemed disappointed by what happened to Haney during the Ryan Garcia fight, which affected Haney so deeply. In fact, it’s not just Haney, who was affected, even Ryan Garcia is serving a one-year ban because of it. Not to mention, the WBC has shunned him from competing for any of their belts. 

Someone else came up with a plan for Haney’s guaranteed success, suggesting Roach should be his permanent trainer, not Bill Haney. Interestingly, Bill Haney has acted as the mentor and trainer for his son, and by the looks of Devin’s resume, their partnership worked until Garcia came around.

The next user claimed Haney’s offensive skills have improved drastically, but he needs help with his defense, which Roach can definitely help him with. However, prior to the Garcia loss, Devin Haney was known for his defensive style of boxing, something he showcased well during the Prograis fight. 

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One user saw Haney and Roach’s partnership as a game changer, claiming Roach has all the tools necessary to get Haney back on the top. Still, it’s yet to be seen whether Haney continues to train with Roach, or whether it was just a one-time thing. 

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Having said that, Haney’s fans are clearly rooting for him to make an awesome comeback. But when that may happen is uncertain! While it’s good to see Haney hasn’t quit the gym, fans will be expecting more from the former undisputed champion. What do you think about Haney and Roach’s partnership? 

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