Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather retired from boxing after a sparring session with a teenage Devin Haney in 2017. That’s the controversial view of Haney’s father, Bill.
Speaking with Fight Hub TV, Haney made the astounding statement during the New York press run for his son’s bout with Ryan Garcia.
Haney brought up Mayweather into the conversation because clips of Haney sparring stories in the gym were dug up.
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Mayweather and Haney used to be close. However, they have since distanced themselves from each other.
Floyd Mayweather ‘retired after sparring with Devin Haney’
Bill said: “Floyd, he could have stopped [before fighting Conor McGregor in 2017], so we should have shown the sparring video of him and Devin. Now, why do all videos show the sparring [with Gervonta Davis] wasn’t close?
“It was like Floyd looked in the mirror when I told him. He finally decided he could no longer be in the boxing with no real fighters.
“Devin is the one [who showed Mayweather he was passed it]. He [Mayweather] knew that the torch had to be passed. I mean, he passed it to Devin because it was either that or we would be challenging him.
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“We challenge everybody. There’s nobody in boxing in or around the division that he’s not looking to fight.”
Mayweather era
If Floyd feels salty about the situation, Haney responded: “I don’t know. I don’t. I won’t say the word salty because when you have that much money. It’s hard to be salty about anything.
“But I think it’s just the way that it is. It’s the new era, and that’s what it is. He’s hanging onto the Floyd Mayweather era. He’s still talking about Terence Crawford. Terence Crawford would beat everybody on Floyd’s resume. It’s an era where Terence was in the shadows of Floyd it’s, and when Devin came along, no shadow was big enough.”
Haney is currently ranked pound for pound in the top five by World Boxing News. Mayweather prophesized this fact when the pair worked together at his Las Vegas gym. The same happened with Gervonta Davis, whom Haney has since overtaken.
Times have undoubtedly moved on, though. Mayweather is no longer linked to either of his former proteges. At 47, Mayweather is being pushed out more due to the waning of his Mayweather Promotions brand under the stagnation of Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions.
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Bill has taken the opportunity to kick Floyd Mayweather while he’s down. He can surely expect a response from Team Mayweather for his trouble.
