Haney v Moran Recap
In the main event of the evening, Devin “The Dream” Haney (22-0, 14 KO’s) pitched a masterclass performance and capped it off with a solid Knockout of the Year candidate. Throughout the bout, his game opponent Antonio “Tono” Moran (24-4, 17 KO’s) was a step too slow and not nearly enough tools.
The Breakdown
“The Dream” initiated the fight at a blistering pace, while remaining faithful to his fundamentals. Haney cruised smoothly around the ring, stabbed the body and popped “Tono’s” head back with regularity. By the rounds end, the sharp-shooting Californian was hammering the body wickedly. It felt like this might be a short night. To his credit, Moran established more of a presence over the next two rounds. However, this presence was more due to his toughness rather than any consistent or effective offense.
It didn’t appear that Moran had the skill set or athleticism to beat Haney, but he seemed to be built for a 12-round thumping. So, in the fourth, Haney takes it back to basics and resumes stabbing the body and head with that quick dagger-jab. In the final minute, Haney is savaging Moran’s rib cage with nasty hooks
The Beginning of the End
The fifth marked the beginning of the end. In the corner, Moran is charged with a shaky knockdown. Even though Haney lands a clean hook to the belly, he also stepped on his foes foot while doing so. “Tono” collapsed so awkwardly that it seemed evident that something beyond that shot occurred. Questionable knock down or not, when Moran got to his feet, Haney switched into another gear.
“The Dream” begins landing piercing, hurtful shots to the head and body seemingly at will. With this new pace and aggression, Moran no longer appeared to be capable to taking the abuse for twelve rounds. The dismantling continued throughout the sixth. Then, the end came in the seventh.
Fully in control, with Moran stranded in the corner, Haney first lands a right hook to the body, then comes back with a pinpoint right-hook on the chin. The crispy punch instantly caused Moran to go limp and sprawl out under the ropes. Referee Kenny Chevalier called it off with no count.
Upon impact, it was clear that Moran was done and this actually turned into a scary moment due the extended length of time that Moran was on the canvas. Thankfully, following a tense celebration-muting period, Moran did sit up and appear to have regained his faculties. This was a sensational win for Devin “The Dream” Haney and with a chilling knockout. Very impressive.
By: Bakari Simpson
