By Thomas Gerbasi

At 17 years old, Devin Haney has seen things most teenage boxers can only dream of. This whirlwind left him in a position as not only a blue chip prospect in the lightweight division, but as someone who is unaffected by the spotlight that is getting brighter and brighter every day.

“I’m taking it in well,” said the 5-0 (3 KOs) Haney, who makes his television debut on the CBS Sports Network when he faces fellow unbeaten Jairo Vargas Fernandez. “I’ve been a top amateur, so I’ve always had a lot of pressure on me. So this is something that I’m used to.”

There is a calm to Las Vegas’ Haney that comes with that experience. He’s not the jittery sort, jumping from topic to topic like most teenagers. He’s measured and thoughtful with his answers, and when he talks about being a top amateur, it’s no exaggeration.

Owner of a 130-8 record that includes several national championships, Haney was seen by many as a shoo-in to make the 2016 United States Olympic team and make a run at gold in Rio this summer. The only problem was that the phenom was going to be too young to compete, and those dreams were dashed.

“It was very disappointing because that was something that I always dreamed of, to be on the Olympic team,” he said. “I was actually overseas when I found out that I wasn’t going to be able to compete in the Olympics. I was doing all these overseas fights and traveling with the Olympic team, only to find out that I wasn’t actually going to be on the 2016 team.”

Then it was decision time. Wait around for 2020 or turn pro? That was no decision at all for Haney to make.

“No, I didn’t think about it,” he said of waiting for the 2020 Games. “I knew that I wanted to go pro.”

So he did. At 17. In Tijuana, where he fought his first four pro bouts at the Billar El Perro Salado in front of Mexican fans cheering for their fighters and screaming for Haney’s head.

And he loved it.

“It was a great experience,” he said. “I feel like it prepared me for my fights in the U.S. I loved how the crowd was against me, how they would boo me when I would come out. The fans out there in Tijuana love boxing, and all the fights were action-packed because of the crowd.”

Haney won all four bouts south of the border, three by first-round knockout. In April, he finally got to compete in the States when he decisioned Rafael Vazquez on the Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley undercard in Las Vegas, and he’s back again this weekend for another home game.

“It feels great to be fighting at home, and to be fighting on TV as well, where everyone all over the world can see me fight, not just here.”

Fighting in his adopted hometown of Vegas means that the San Francisco native can keep things as normal as possible leading up to fight night. Well, as normal as things can be for a teenage prizefighter with world championship aspirations, as well as expectations on his shoulders.

“I can’t always go hang out with my friends,” he said when asked about what he misses due to his job as a pro boxer. “I take off from being around them and of course there’s dieting. I can’t eat everything that I want to eat, so I can’t live the average 17-year-old life. But I’m willing to sacrifice for the big picture.”

It’s a lesson learned by watching and listening, and when you hear Haney talk about studying films of greats like Charley Burley and Ezzard Charles, it’s obvious that he’s heading in the right direction. He also has some good examples around him when it comes to life at the highest level of the sport, including the Mayweathers – Floyd Sr. and Jr. - with Senior in his corner, and Junior always there to give some helpful advice.

“I watch people like Floyd Mayweather, who inspire me,” Haney said. “He always tells me to just stay focused because there are going to be a lot of distractions.

Don’t expect him to be distracted by the bright lights though. I ask him if he’s ever been star-struck being around some of boxing’s greats.

“Not yet,” he said. “I’m not saying that I won’t, but I haven’t got star struck yet.”

Not even by someone like Mike Tyson?

“Actually, I met Mike Tyson,” he said. “I’ve been around Mike Tyson a lot.”

Haney pauses, then continues, wanting to revise his answer to the initial question.

“I had face-timed Muhammad Ali and I think I was star-struck a little bit then,” he said. “He wasn’t able to talk to me, but just seeing him and knowing that it was him, I did get star-struck a little bit.”

That’s a mic dropping moment right there, but you get the impression that it won’t be the last one from Mr. Devin Haney, a young and talented boxer who wants to leave the sport the same way.

“I don’t want to be old in the sport of boxing,” he said. “I still want to be young be able to enjoy my life.”