Saturday’s fight night at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada saw heavily favored Devin “The Dream” Haney improve his record to 26-0 against a tough opponent in Jorge Linares (47-6, 29 KOs). Devin was expected to show the world the truth of his skills against Jorge, who previously gave us a memorable fight against Vasyl Lomachenko in 2018. The response to that expectation was a series of events that displayed not only Haney’s skills, but his toughness and perseverance in the face of adversity. For the first time in Haney’s professional career, his chin was tested and his game was forced to adapt to the relentless offense by Linares. Fans also got to see Haney fight in close range with his opponent, giving the fans a more active show than what they’re used to in his fights.
Most of the fight was dominated by Devin Haney and the sharpness of his jab, who came into the fight with a slight reach advantage and a lot to prove against his best opponent yet. Both fighters exhibited confident demeanors, but it became clear within the first few rounds that Haney’s confidence would serve him better throughout the fight. In fact, it was Haney’s jab and his diverse use of it that stole the show. For the sweet science aficionados, Haney’s quick and disciplined jab was truly a sight to see. We saw it go to just about every place a jab can reach an opponent and in a multitude of ways, which showed just how useful establishing and maintaining a strong jab can be. It was constantly splitting Linares’ guard in the first three rounds, frustrating Linares and not allowing him to close the distance.
Round 4 saw Linares starting to exert more pressure on Haney, but Devin showed that he was two steps ahead of him with his slick and perfectly timed movements. Despite the attempts by Linares to reach Haney and perhaps catch him with his best punch, the right hand, Haney stayed disciplined by hitting his target and then swiftly stepping away. However, at the end of round 4 Linares was able to successfully close the distance with a sneaky left hook.
Rounds 5 and 6 saw a persistent Haney continue to work behind the jab, sticking and moving but choosing to stay in the pocket a bit longer than usual for him, displaying more aggression than in his previous fights. Round 7 really showcased that Haney was willing to trade with Linares, fighting on the inside and going to the body more often. And although Linares responded with well-crafted combinations of his own, Haney was able to catch his shots by keeping his hands glued to his face at the right times, never allowing Linares to fully take advantage of Haney’s more aggressive moments.
Even with all that preparation and skill, there are certain shots that won’t be anticipated, and often those are the ones that test a fighter’s will and reveal what they’re made of. At the end of the 10th round Haney was met with a short right hand that wobbled him so badly, it sent him into the 11th with unrecovered shaky legs and a survival mode mentality. But Haney was able to muster up just enough strength to not only get him through that round but take him into the 12th where he re-established his dominance and showed courage by continuing to stay in close range of Linares, despite being miles ahead on the scorecards.
All three of the judges’ scorecards were in favor of Haney, with two scoring it 116-112 and Dave Moretti scoring 155-113. In his post-fight interview, Haney said, “This is boxing. You’re gonna get hit with big shots. I didn’t get dropped. You just have to continue to box smart.” What we saw in the last three rounds is what boxing fans and critics have been desperate to see from Haney; how he would react and adapt to being tested. Knowing how to face adversity in a fight is a true test of character, and after Haney was able to pass that test tonight, there’s no doubt that we can expect bigger and more aggressive fights from him in the future.
