Devin Haney traded barbs online with the super lightweight champion, but it appears as if the two will not meet in the ring anytime soon.
Former IBF, WBC, and WBO World Super Lightweight champion Haney has announced that he is returning to the ring in March, with an opponent yet to be revealed.
‘The Dream’ has been out of action since April of 2024, when he lost a controversial fight to Ryan Garcia. However, the pair will not meet again in March as Garcia’s suspension from boxing will still be active.
Haney will go into his bout in March with his undefeated record still intact, as his Garcia loss was overturned to a no-contest. However, it is unlikely he will face the WBO World Super Lightweight champion.
Teofimo Lopez turns down ‘good offer’ from Turki Alalshikh, says Devin Haney
Haney has revealed to Boxing News that Teofimo Lopez has received an offer for a bout from Turki Alalshikh, but did not accept.
“Turki Alalshikh sent Top Rank an offer, it was a good offer, and he turned it down, for whatever reasons,” said Haney.
When asked to confirm it was Lopez who rejected the offer, Haney said, “Yeah, he [Lopez] turned it down. It was far more than the offer he proposed.”
‘The Dream’ would then go on to say that he feels Lopez is not interested in a fight with him. “Yeah, I don’t think he wants to fight me. It made all the sense in the world [to accept the contract].”
Following the news of Haney’s return in March, Lopez responded to ‘The Dream’s’ announcement by seemingly campaigning to be the opponent for the bout.
The fiery online back-and-forth between Haney and Lopez would result in the latter publically criticizing Top Rank Boxing, who he is signed to. Among the tweets made by Lopez include “What’s the number for the buyout [clause]?” and “I am too expensive for TopRank.”
Devin Haney meets with Turki Alalshikh in London ahead of March return
Haney was in London in the second week of January 2025 for a meeting with Alalshikh as he aims to return to the ring in March.
While in the UK, Haney hosted a public workout in London to showcase his skills ahead of his return. Drawing a significant crowd, fans were able to see Haney hit pads in the British gym.
However, the primary reason for Haney’s visit was to meet with Alalshikh to discuss fight options.
In the same interview with Boxing News, Haney would say “I’m here with Turki Alalshikh to see if we can make something work. I got an offer from BLK Prime to do a fight in March, and it’s possible… We’ll see if we can put something together.”
In regards to rival Ryan Garcia, Haney was asked if he would be interested in a rematch with his last opponent. “He gotta be clean. That’s the only way a rematch can happen. But that’s a fight I would love to make.”
Ryan Garcia’s suspension from boxing is valid until April 2025, then he will once again be eligible to box.