Adrien Broner Demeans Bill Haney as a Trainer
Bill Haney is becoming one of the most talked about figures in the sport. However, some in the boxing community question his credentials as a trainer. The latest to voice his opinion about Haney is multi-divisional champion Adrien “AB” Broner (35-4, 24 KOs), who believes he is far from an elite cornerman.
Undisputed women’s junior lightweight champion Alycia “The Bomb” Baumgardner disclosed photos of her and Haney during a recent gym session. It didn’t take long for Broner to respond with a series of posts questioning Baumgardner befriending Haney and having him in the gym.
AB has been pushing to land a fight with Haney. So, it’s likely that what he had to say came with an ulterior motive. However, his comments do strike a chord for this reason.
ALL STYLE AND NO SUBSTANCE?
Bill Haney is the father and trainer of reigning WBC junior welterweight world champion Devin “The Dream” Haney (31-0, 15 KOs). The trainer often gets more attention for running his mouth outside the ring than for his work with his son. As a result, some in the boxing community feel Bill is more about making headlines than the grunt work that comes with being an A-level trainer.
In the history of this sport, there are examples of fathers who train their children to be very successful, but that success doesn’t extend to other fighters. Abraham “Ham” Johnson guided his son, Mark, to a Hall of Fame career. Danny Romero Sr. was the trainer of his son, Danny Jr., who became a two-division world champion in the 1990s. Neither “Ham” nor Danny Sr. had similar success with any other fighter.
Next up for Team Haney is an April 20 title defense against Ryan Garcia. But here’s the elephant in the room. Outside of The Dream, what other prominent fighter has Bill worked with as a lead trainer? Is the father of the junior welterweight champion the latest example of someone who is simply a product of working with an uber-talented fighter in his son and does not have the training chops? It’s a debate that continues in the boxing community.
