It’s less than three weeks until May 2nd, when the former undisputed lightweight champion—Devin Haney, faces the former unified super lightweight champion, Jose Carlos Ramirez, at Times Square, NYC. The event, part of the ‘Fatal Fury: Times Square’ card will stream worldwide on DAZN pay-per-view, and millions of fans would be watching eagerly. That’s because The Dream is returning to the ring after a year-long break. Even though Ramirez has fought twice this year, his results stand at one win and one loss too, making it the perfect day for a challenging bout. To add to that, there may be a weight dispute threatening to jeopardize the match-off from coming to life!
In his last fight on November 16, 2024 against Arnold Barboza Jr., which happened in Riyadh, Ramirez, the 29-2 boxer, lost by unanimous decision. When talked to after the loss, all he could reflect was, “I stayed in 140 [pounds] for too long. It’s time for me to move up to 147 [pounds].”
He had reportedly been struggling to keep himself at 140 lbs. Hence, the desire to finally move up in division. It paved the way for picking Haney as his next opponent. Considering all the current updates, it seems the agreed-upon catchweight of 144 pounds still stands. This is important because of the gap between Haney and Ramirez’s weight classes. However, some new insider reports hint at changes to the already agreed-upon weight limit. The development is stirring controversy on social media and shaking up the matchup.
According to Boxing Kingdom’s recent X post, “Robert Garcia [Jose Ramirez’s trainer] has stated that Devin Haney is requesting a change in the contract weight for his fight against Jose Ramirez on May 2nd. Team Haney is requesting the weight to be changed from 144 lbs to 147 lbs,” the post read.
While nothing is fully clear for now, updates are floating in. Haney changing the catchweight just days before the fight may cause trouble in the bout happening. It can end up affecting his performance. Well, if not that, it can still affect the outcome of the fight. Haney is moving up from lightweight. This will be his first welterweight bout after a year-long break.
Another post from Pound4Pound on the same platform revealed, “Robert Garcia says Devin Haney has changed the contracted weight from 144 [pounds] to 147 [pounds].” Despite that, Ramirez’s trainer pointed out that 147 lbs would actually favour the former Olympian. “They are asking for 147 [pounds] which is fine with us, Jose is a big guy he will be so much stronger at 147,” he said. So no matter if Haney wants to fight bigger, Ramirez and his team seem to be ready for the bout and everything that comes with it.
Robert Garcia says Devin Haney has changed the contracted weight from 144 to 147
They are asking for 147 which is fine with us Jose is a big guy he will be so much stronger at 147-
@koartistsports #Boxing #HaneyRamirez pic.twitter.com/L3XH1Hjwk5
— Pound4Pound (@Pound4our4Pound) April 15, 2025
Providing further updates, Boxing Kingdom added, “Update: Devin Haney has stated Robert Garcia’s comments are incorrect and the fight is still scheduled for the original contract weight of 144 lbs.” At this point, we cannot say anything for sure. It may be that there is some communication gap between the camps of Haney and Ramirez.
All we can do is wait for more updates to come in. Moreover, last-minute weight changes from the 31-0 boxer are a bit suspicious. People know him for mostly maintaining weight discipline throughout his career, so the move feels weirdly out of character. Especially, considering how important his match with Ramirez is.
Devin Haney vs. Jose Ramirez: A bout that decides careers
After his loss to Ryan Garcia on April 20, 2024 in Brooklyn, New York, Devin Haney had pulled himself out of the boxing scene. He didn’t fight for almost a year. Garcia had won by majority decision, after knocking Haney down three times during the bout.
Later, officials overturned the result to a no-contest after Garcia tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug Ostarine. Haney knew he would need to wait some time if he wanted to beat Garcia in a rematch. The defeat had significantly hurt his commercial value and made it harder for him to secure high-profile bouts.
Moving ahead, winning against Ramirez is one way to climb up and challenge Ryan Garcia for a rematch. The Haney-Ramirez event is headlined by Garcia fighting Rolly Romero as well. If both Garcia and Haney manage to win their respective matches, they plan to rematch around October this year, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Since there are no solid updates on Haney’s weight change controversy, there are no finalizations for now. But, keeping in mind what will happen if he matches Ramirez, they will likely rethink Haney’s moves in advance.
What do you think about the upcoming bout? Will it happen?
The post Controversy Strikes Devin Haney vs Jose Ramirez as “Incorrect” Weight Request Claim Creates Confusion appeared first on EssentiallySports.