Devin Haney Decisions Ndongeni; Wants to fight the best at lightweight
Undefeated lightweight prospect Devin Haney (20-0, 13KOs) looked to make the transition to contender against Xolisani Ndongeni (25-0 13KOs). Haney is coming off an impressive win against Juan Carlos Burgos. Ndogeni from South Africa looked to score a major victory on American television in a major fight card.
Early on, both fighters looked to establish their jabs. Haney is a little sharper, and seemed to gain control. At the end of the first round Haney lands several eye catching combinations and nearly scores a knockdown.
The knockdown would eventually come on a sharp right-hand counter. The South African wasn’t too hurt, and landed several hard counters after getting up due to Haney’s reckless aggression.
The favorite firmly took control of the fight by walking Ndongeni down, hitting him nearly at will with jabs and straight rights. The only thing lacking is bodywork for now.
Going into round five, Haney made a tactical shift and began to target the body. This made a huge difference as you could see the South African fighter being visibly hurt. Haney showed excellent craft using roll counters to land bodyshots.
Ndongeni showed resolve as well, even landing a few counters of his own. As the fight progressed, the tenor remained the same.
Going into the tenth, Haney went all out for the knockout. While he didn’t get the stoppage, it showed great heart on the parts of both fighters, and made for excellent entertainment.
When it was all said and done Haney won 100-90 on two scorecards and 99-91 on the third. To quote Haney in his post fight interview:
“I’m a fucking contender! I want those top fights, like I said.
Now they really can’t deny me. I’ve been saying this for a long time, but now, I’m a fucking contender!”
If his words don’t prove he can contend with anyone in the division, his performance may be more convincing. The newly minted contender would make an excellent opponent for Richard Commey, Javier Fortuna, Mercito Gesta, or even Rances Barthelemy.
If he’s able to defeat an opponent of that level he’d have checked all the boxes to qualify for a title shot!
By: Corey Cunningham
