Let’s call it “Bill Haney’s ‘A Christmas Carol.’”
The verbose and confident father, manager and trainer of unbeaten three-division and welterweight champion Devin Haney has been pushing others for a fight following his son’s WBO title-winning performance against then-unbeaten champion Brian Norman Jnr last month in Saudi Arabia.
In addition to pressing for a unification versus WBA champion Rolly Romero – whom the elder Haney says has gone into hiding – the Haneys are open to a unification with IBF champion Lewis Crocker of England while maintaining position for a rematch versus Ryan Garcia should he be able to claim the WBC belt from champion Mario Barrios Jnr on February 21 in Las Vegas.
Whoever, whenever, wherever has become the Haney chant.
And on the heels of a year that they feel at least deserves “Comeback Fighter of the Year” honors if not “Fighter of the Year” and “Pound for pound No. 1” consideration after a PED-positive Garcia knocked Haney down three times in their 2024 no-contest bout, they opted to convey a message recapping this year and anticipating a busy 2026 in the form of a seasonal greeting.
In keeping with Bill Haney’s occasional calls with BoxingScene, Wednesday’s interrupted the pouring of egg nog and mimosas, but as soon as we saw the name on the screen, we picked up, certain the content would not disappoint.
We were correct.
And with that, we’ll let Bill Haney’s holiday message flow:
“Ho, ho, ho. Now let’s go, go, go.
Happy, happy, happy to everybody.
If I can’t reach you with a bag of gifts,
let me leave you with a bag of game.
I know some fans and sports writers are disappointed.
It took a while for people to stop believing in Santa Claus,
so I knew it would take a little longer
to believe in “Deebo,” Devin Haney.
But wait a minute —
In unprecedented times, the fighters voted.
Pound-for-pound number one.
Yes — the fighters voted.
Not the politics.
Not the narratives.
The fighters.
You know —
the ones on the hit list.
Pound-for-pound number one
in the deepest pools boxing has to offer:
135. 140. 147.
That’s three divisions.
Three continents.
Three different championship environments.
No promotional cuddling.
No protection.
And they said he was going to lose.
He didn’t.
This wasn’t cherry-picking.
This was risk.
Undisputed at 135.
Moved up and fought the man at 140.
Moved again and beat the man at 147.
That’s not opinion.
That’s résumé.
Pound-for-pound isn’t about who people wanted to see next.
It’s about who proved it —
across divisions, across borders, across politics.
He revolutionized how fighters take control of their careers.
At 27 years old, while most fighters are still stuck behind promoter and network politics,
he maintained control of his career from the beginning —
working with everybody before everybody was working with everybody.
This era of boxing is about fighters controlling their destiny
with discipline, sacrifice, and accountability.
And that’s what Devin Haney represents.
This isn’t me talking as a father.
This is me talking as a trainer, a manager,
and someone who understands boxing history.
And that’s why, right now, he’s pound-for-pound number one.
On behalf of the DHP family, this has always been our standard.
Oh, I almost forgot —
did I mention that ‘Deebo’ gave every top fighter in and around the division
an opportunity to fight?
Maybe I already did.
History wrote this. Where’s the lie?”
Thank you for wrapping up the fight year and entertaining us on Christmas Eve, Bill Haney. The debate on all these topics will continue through the week ahead, but until then, enjoy your gatherings, and to all, a good night!
