Devin Hanney has leaked an old video clip of X, which shows him beating former IBF light heavyweight champion Liam Parro in a sparring match that was pretty one-sided.
This move by Haney (31-0, 15 KO) looks like a transparent attempt to show that he is the superior fighter Richardson Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs), who is getting a lot of attention from the boxing world after defeating Parra (25-1, 15 KOs) last Saturday night in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Hani’s indirect challenge
By showing that he was more skilled than Paro, Haney was able to generate interest in a potential fight between him and Hitchins. If it does happen, it probably needs to be at 147 without Hitchins’ IBF title on the line due to the 10lb rehydration rule.
The timing of Hanney’s release of an old sparring video of him dominating Paro could be seen as a way indirectly calling Richardson without doing it. It would have been better if Hannay had challenged him directly, but this is a clever way to build interest in the head-to-head fight by showing the fans that he drew the fighter that Hitchins beat last Saturday.
With the recently defeated Hanay (31-0, 15 KOs) and his father Bill Hanay interested in a lucrative rematch with Ryan Garcia in 2025, the sparring footage may be cheap way to keep Devin in the headlines without risking his skin getting in the ring. Looks like Hanay is trying to show people how talented he is.
Knowing how much money Dev stands to make by fighting Garcia in a rematch, it would be crazy to take the risky fight against Hitchins and lose like Paro did last weekend. Richardson’s speed, power and shot accuracy would be big problems for Hani.
Hitchins got the better of Paro, defeating him by split decision in 12 rounds in the DAZN headliner on promoter Eddie Hearn’s card. The performance of Richardson, from Brooklyn, New York, saw him claim the top spot in the 140-pound class.
Old files.. me and Paro… I think one day he will be champion again. pic.twitter.com/eTv5iFkvBk
— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) December 9, 2024