Two days before his megafight against Ryan Garcia, a longtime foe from his amateur boxing days, Devin Haney is resting on the couch of his penthouse suite in a swanky New York City hotel. The 25-year-old star fighter, who will enter the ring April 20 with a perfect 31-0 record, reflects on his upcoming bout.
"This fight means everything to me," Haney said, speaking with FN in his hotel room Thursday morning. "Every fight is big for me at this point, with me being a champion, one of the big names in the sport."
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Haney admitted training camp was hard, but called it amazing and said he was happy with how hard he pushed himself for this fight. The boxer also discussed the shoes he wore during camp, which included running shoes from Asics and boxing boots from Nike.
FN, however, was there to talk with Haney about a different shoe. Leading up to the Garcia fight, Haney — a professional athlete with effortless style and a keen eye for fashion — worked with Jordan Brand to design his own Jordan 1.
Although the roots of Jordan Brand — the namesake label of NBA icon Michael Jordan — are in basketball, the company has strong inties to boxing as well. It has backed some of boxing's greatest fighters, including Roy Jones Jr., Andre Ward and Gennadiy "GGG" Golovkin, and its boots have been worn by the U.S. Olympic boxing team in the past.
"Jordan Brand has done a few things in boxing, and the things they've done, they've done them with the greats," Haney said. "It's an achievement within itself to be dealing with them."
He continued, "I thank Allah for giving me this opportunity to even be in conversation with Jordan. Michael Jordan is a legend. I've studied him and his mindset and the route he took to greatness, and I look to one day be great in my sport like he was in basketball."
An exclusive look at Devin Haney's Jordan 1.
The upper of Haney's exclusive Jordan 1 is black, which sits atop a stark white midsole and icy translucent outsoles. Haney also played with textures on his iteration of the Jordan 1, including the flat, waxed laces and the use of pebbled leather, which consumes large sections of the uppers. Also, the words "The Dream" appear on the outsoles and the heels, the latter detail executed in a bold pink hue for a bit of contrast.
"The shoe is based around my grandmother [Renee Jannah], she recently passed due to cancer. That's where the pink came in," Haney explained. "The light blue at the bottom came from 'The Dream,' that being my boxer name — dreams, sky, sky blue. And black, I'm a [simple] guy, so I love to color black."
Haney said Jordan Brand let him design the shoe in its entirety, and he was involved in every step of the process, which took place over Zoom. The fighter admitted with a slight laugh that he thought the design process would be easier than what it was.
"At first, I was a little nervous, I didn't know what to expect because it was my first time designing a shoe. But I'm happy with the way that it came out, and I look forward to designing much more," Haney said.
The Jordan 1 designed by Devin Haney.
Although Haney and Jordan Brand teamed up on this Jordan 1, which is exclusive to him and will not be sold in stores, an official partnership is not in place. However, a long-term deal with Jordan Brand is the goal for Haney, and the boxer confirmed with FN that the two sides are in talks to make it happen.
"Don't be surprised if you see me and Jordan Brand doing a full partnership soon," Haney said. "My dream is to have my own boxing shoe, like Roy Jones once did,' Haney said. "I want to make the boxing part [of Jordan Brand] bigger. We've never really had a big boxing capsule, a boxer has never done it before."
He continued, "I bring a different look [to Jordan Brand], a different charisma. I'm very into fashion, very into style, I'm very in tune with what's new, what's hot. I'll be bringing my own creative spin to Jordan."
Before he shifts his focus to Jordan Brand, Haney has to take care of business against Garcia. The fight will stream live on Dazn on April 20, starting at 8 p.m. ET. Haney will wear the shoe on the way to the arena.
"Fans can expect fireworks," Haney said. "Finally, the fight is here. I'm excited to showcase my skills and show that I'm levels above this guy."
Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at peter.verry@footwearnews.com.
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