Devin Haney is one of the biggest stars in the division. ‘The Dream’ has an incredible skill set that has taken him to the top at lightweight. However, his champion status is something that many fans and fighters have questioned over the last year.
Haney, who currently holds the WBC lightweight belt, will defend it on Saturday against a former world champion, Jorge Linares. However, the 22-year-old American gets trolled for being an ‘Email Champion.’ So let’s see why fighters call Haney an email champion.
The 25-0 boxer fought his way to becoming the WBC interim champion. He earned a shot at the then champion, Vasyl Lomachenko. However, Lomachenko and his team requested the WBC to promote the Ukrainian to the newly formed concept of a franchise champion.
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As a result, Haney became the WBC champion, a feat he achieved without beating the current champion. Moreover, he found out he was champion through an email. Subsequently, ‘The Dream’ and defended his belt against Alfredo Santiago. The WBC then ordered him to face mandatory challenger Javier Fortuna. However, an injury ruled him out, and the WBC made him ‘Champion in Recess.’
Devin Haney reinstated as WBC champion via email
Since Haney could not defend his belt, Fortuna and Luke Campbell fought for the vacant WBC title, with ‘The Dream’ getting the first shot at the winner of that fight. However, the COVID-19 pandemic stopped that fight from happening.
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Subsequently, the WBC reinstated Haney as the lightweight champion. This, too, was done via an email and an official announcement. However, this did not go down well with the contenders in the division who felt Haney should have fought for the title.
Therefore, since Devin Haney realized that he was the champion via an email from the sanctioning body, many critics refer to him as the ‘Email Champion.’ Considering this, Haney is eager to face the best in the division, proving he belongs at the top.
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What do you make of Devin Haney’s ‘Email Champion’ tag?
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