Derrick James Believes It Will Be Hard For Devin Haney To Return From Ryan Garcia Loss

Derrick James, the trainer of Ryan Garcia, thinks it will be hard for Devin Haney to return following his loss to Ryan Garcia on Saturday in Brooklyn, New York.

Haney was a sizeable betting favorite, but Garcia fought well, including flooring Haney three times to get the decision win. It was a big upset, and James says he is proud of the way Garcia fought and the game plan they implemented.

“I feel accomplished,” James told the media after the fight (via BoxingScene). “I feel like I did my job. And that’s what it’s all about. I think it would have to be the most satisfying [win of my training career]. You know what? I’m going to say it was great, because I don’t want to put anyone’s situation over anyone else. … For me to get to this level, I did it myself. A Hall of Fame trainer didn’t teach me. Nobody taught me anything. I pushed myself to this level. I’m an underdog anyway. Even now, the level that I’m on, they’re still counting me out.”

However, after the win, that saw Devin Haney get hit with massive punches, Derrick James says it would have been better for Haney to get knocked out, as the beating he took could be career-altering.

“It’s good for Ryan,” James said. “I’m happy for him. He really beat him up bad. Did you see [Haney’s swollen] face? It was crazy [how dominant he was]. I didn’t believe it. I think it would have been better for [Haney] to get knocked out [early] because it’s going to be hard to recover from getting beat up like that. He’s a good fighter. He’ll be back. He’s still young. He can be hungry. He’s 25. The game plan was always about taking everything from [Haney]. Once I saw Ryan bring the jab and walk to him, he retreated and opened Haney up.”

Do you think Devin Haney will be able to return to form after this loss?