Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn has some plans in store for Devin Haney following his fight against Ryan Garcia.
Devin Haney was comprehensively outpointed by Ryan Garcia in April, when he gallantly climbed off the canvas three times to see the final bell.
However, the 25-year-old’s first defeat as a professional was later ruled a no-contest after it emerged that Garcia had failed a drugs test.
Despite ample efforts to proclaim his innocence, the social media star was handed a one-year ban from boxing by the New York State Athletic Commission.
Eddie Hearn assesses reaction to Devin Haney vs Ryan Garcia
In recent years, Haney has worked on a fight-by-fight basis with Eddie Hearn, who has developed a strong relationship with the Californian and was front and centre of the promotion for his last bout.
“One thing about Devin is that he’s mentally very solid,” Hearn told Fight Hub TV. “I think the [Garcia] defeat hurt him on many levels because, one, he never thought he’d get beat, and two, I think the drug test stuff was hard for him to take.
“It was almost like, when Ryan tested positive [for performance-enhancing drugs], Devin sort of got the blame. It was a really weird reaction on social [media]; it was like: ‘oh stop being a cry-baby, Devin.’”
Eddie Hearn reveals plans for Liam Paro vs Devin Haney
The super lightweight scene has changed drastically since Haney and Garcia locked horns.
For instance, unbeaten Australian Liam Paro secured a monumental upset victory over Subriel Matias to claim the IBF world title in June.
Now, following his career-best win in Puerto Rico, Paro looks to stage a title defence in front of his home fans, and Haney could indeed make for a suitable dance partner.
Hearn said: “I texted [Haney] a couple days ago about the Paro fight. And I said, look, I think there could be an opportunity to make that fight.
“[Haney] said: ‘I’d be up for it, if the deal was right.’ It’s definitely a fight that I think makes sense. Devin has good profile in Australia – beat [George Kambosos Jr] twice over there.
“We wanna do a big homecoming for Liam Paro and we’d love to do Paro against Haney in December.”