WBC lightweight title holder Devin Haney feels three-weight champion Jorge Linares will bring out the best in him and show the American belongs at elite level.
Haney (25-0, 18 KOs) faces Venezuelan veteran Linares (47-5, 29 KOs) at the Michelob ULTRA Arena at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on May 29, live on DAZN, keen to illustrate his star pedigree.
He believes he is the best in a talent-laden division that features leading lights Teofimo Lopez, Ryan Garcia, Gervonta Davis and former pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko.
A conclusive win over Linares will elevate his standing further, says the gifted 22-year-old.
“I am expecting a firefight and I can’t wait,” said Haney. “We don’t know what Jorge will turn up, but I am ready for anything, and I can’t wait to show it. Jorge brings so much to the table. Speed, power, ring IQ, experience against the best of the best, and I think he’s the type of opponent that will bring the best out of me, make me bring out my A-game, take it to the next level, the elite level.
“People think he will have success, some think he will even win the fight, and that’s why it will show that I am elite and one of the best, if not the best, in the world.
“Every day, my dad [and trainer Bill Haney] and I get to know each other more and more. This camp has been great and we’re both ready for this one night to show everything we have been working on. You can’t train for me, because you don’t know what style I am going to bring. I’ve learned so many different styles and I can adjust, and that’s the difference between me and a lot of other fighters.”