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Boxing star Devin Haney’s felony concealed weapon possession charge had been dropped by the Los Angeles District Attorney. Haney, who is one of the best pound for pound boxers in the world, was arrested on 13 July after a weapon was found in his vehicle following a routine traffic stop. Haney was not driving the vehicle, nor is it clear that the weapon was his to begin with, which are reasons for why the case was dropped. The Los Angeles DA’s office announced their decision on Thursday.
On 13 July, a vehicle that the boxer was in was pulled over in a routine traffic check following an unsafe lane change and failure to use a correct signal. Police stated that when pulled over, the driver of the vehicle (not Haney) told the cops that there was a gun in the vehicle. After searching, a semi-automatic handgun was found under the driver’s seat. Nobody claimed ownership of the gun and Haney was arrested because the gun was in his car. He was arrested and booked with felony possession of a concealed weapon, eventually being released with a $35,000 bond. The charge was dropped because of a lack of evidence.
The DA’s office told ESPN in an interview, “The case involving Devin Haney was declined on July 27 due to insufficient evidence.”
After his arrest, Haney’s father said, “It’s a misunderstanding that will be solved when Devin goes to court. It’s unfortunate that he was arrested with his armed licensed security, and I’m confident things are going to be worked out.”
Haney likely to fight Regis Prograis following victory over Lomachenko
Haney succeeded in recording his career’s most significant win till date when he beat Vasiliy Lomachenko to retain his undisputed lightweight champion status via unanimous decision. This means that the fighter is now 30-0 with 15 KOs.
While the young star has many options for his next bout, including Teofimo Lopez who recently called him out over the super lightweight title, it is increasingly likely that he will fight junior welterweight champion Regis Prograis instead. The WBC has cleared Haney to fight Prograis in October. This will mean that Haney loses his 135-pound belt, though the fighter will retain the option of fighting whoever wins the belt and make a return to the weight class.
