Consistency was what Devin Haney built his career on.

No matter how much criticism was hurled in his direction, fans could always expect an effective jab, supreme footwork, defensive responsibility and a willingness to trade and push the action when needed. With that said, fans and media members were curious about what he would look like.

Before this past weekend, Haney was sequestered on the sidelines, out of sight and out of mind. He may have gotten his 0 in the loss column back, but the beating he suffered from Ryan Garcia in April 2024 appeared to be life-changing. Still, Haney promised that he would be better than ever following his protracted time out of the ring.

Against Jose Ramirez, Haney could've proven that he was back and better than ever. And while he did pick up a lopsided win, some, including Gary Antuanne Russell, weren't impressed in the slightest.

“Devin Haney is trash,” said Russell during a self-recorded video. “Devin Haney is broke now. Ryan Garcia done broke that boy. Ryan Garcia put him down, hurt him and did all this beating on him and now he don’t even fight the same. He’s trash, washed up. I never thought he was good anyway.”

Russell knows a thing or two about bouncing back. In June, the 28-year-old suffered his own setback against Alberto Puello, losing a close split decision. Coming up short made Russell apoplectic but it didn’t discourage him. He quietly worked on his craft, and when the moment arrived he emerged from it a better man. His improvements were noticeable against Jose Valenzuela in March as he outworked, outgunned and outmuscled the former champ.

In the case of Haney, Russell was expecting him to take a page out of his book. Instead, he believes the 26-year-old has regressed considerably. Now, he has a difficult time seeing him return to the top of the pugilistic mountain.

Haney only threw 224 punches Friday, landing only 70.

"Any hard shots he threw were probably a jab to the body. He only threw a couple of hooks and his hooks weren’t hard. Were they clean? Ok, I give you that but they weren’t no effective punches," he said. "They weren’t no shots that he fully committed to. It was scared shots. You can see that his heart ain’t all the way there.”