Devin Haney said he's unaffected by the social media hate he received following his disputed victory over Vasyl Lomachenko in May.
"People love to hate me … I don't know what it is," said Haney during DAZN's episode of Off The Cuff.
The former undisputed lightweight champion, who has wins over Yuriorkis Gamboa, Jorge Linares, Joseph Diaz, George Kambosos, and Lomachenko, Haney has seemingly generated hate for the way in which the WBC elevated him to champion via email, and for his win over Lomachenko which many media members ringside at the time scored for the Ukrainian.
"I embrace it now because what can I do? I’m me. You know, it wouldn’t be right if they did it any other way," said Haney. "If they were showing me too much love, I’d be like, ‘What’s up with these guys? They think I’m not the real deal or something?'
"So, it is what it is. They hate the greats, and then after they respect them and they applaud them. So they can say what they wanna say. I know what type of fighter I am, secure in myself, and Imma keep beating whoever they put in front of me, one by one."
Regarding the Lomachenko decision, Haney said: "It was definitely a tough fight. It was my toughest fight up to date.
"But, you know, it was a competitive fight. That’s what people get confused at. They say competitive fights in boxing are robberies. They mistake them for robberies when, if it’s a close fight, it’s not a robbery."
Haney added that he regards himself as the rightful winner as he "banked a lot of the early rounds and he had two big rounds that made a lotta people think he did a lot more than he did. The last round is the round that I needed, and I took it."
Haney heads into a fight Saturday looking to preserve his undefeated record as he puts it on the line against Regis Prograis in a Chase Center, San Francisco headliner.
The Haney vs. Prograis show airs on DAZN.
