Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Paulie Malignaggi: Devin Haney Needs To ‘Return To Drawing Board,’ Good Fighter, Not Pound-For-Pound Guy

Originally posted on Ringside Intel | By Dana Becker | Last updated 4/22/24

In the eyes of Paulie Malignaggi, Devin Haney lost more than just his perfect record this past weekend.

Haney was dropped multiple times before losing to Ryan Garcia via decision. While he did not drop his title, he took a serious hit in the eyes of the former champion.

“Back to the drawing board for Devin Haney,” Malignaggi said (thanks to MMA Fighting for the quotes). “Still a good fighter, but he just wasn’t a pound-for-pound guy. I think this exposed it.

“No ability to adjust whatsoever.”

Garcia, a huge underdog who missed weight, nearly planted Haney in the opening moments. He would send him to the canvas later in the fight on his way to a majority decision.

Devin Haney Couldn’t Adjust To Ryan Garcia

Garcia had just one loss coming in, falling to Gervonta Davis. His pre-fight talk coupled with the weigh-in miss left many wondering what chances he had.

“I saw some people that were giving Ryan a chance,” Malignaggi said. “I really couldn’t take it seriously based on his antics. Really not so sure he showed those different dimensions in this fight.

“It more so was exposing Devin than it was at Ryan showing anything else.”

There are reports of a potential rematch in the works.

This article first appeared on Ringside Intel and was syndicated with permission.

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