Reigning unified lightweight world champion Devin Haney found himself under fire in 2020 after making the claim that “no white boy” could ever beat him in the boxing ring.
“I can tell you this — I will never lose to a white boy in my life,” Haney said in an interview with 78SPORTSTV’s YouTube channel. “I don’t care what nobody got to say. Listen, can’t no white boy beat me, I don’t care, on any day of the week. I fight a white boy like 10 times, I’m gonna beat him 10 times.”
Khamzat Chimaev did not take kindly to Haney’s comments, recently revealing that it prompted him to unfollow the undefeated boxer on social media. ‘Borz’ also went so far as to dub ‘The Dream’ as a racist more than three years removed from the controversial remarks.
“I unfollowed him after that video. He’s too arrogant,” Chimaev said in a video on social media. “He said he’ll never lose to a white boy. That’s racist. If I say I’ll never lose to a black guy, the world will be like, ‘Khamzat doesn’t like black people.’ Black guys can fight white guys. What’s the difference? The goal is the same.”
He continued, “When a black guy says that, it’s no big deal. If I say that, the whole world will discuss it. I got black friends and white friends. I don’t care if you’re black, white, orange, blue.”
Khamzat Chimaev says Devin Haney is a racist pic.twitter.com/jLPHtteLf3
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(@sinoUFC) October 6, 2023
(@sinoUFC)
Haney Offered an Apology Shortly After Making the Controversial Comment
Shortly following his comments, Haney attempted to mitigate the damage via a couple of posts on social media.
“I’m not racist and I never will be a racist. I’m chasing greatness,” he said in his first post.
He then posted: “I just had a very positive conversation with Mauricio Sulaiman, president of the WBC, and confirmed to him directly my commitment to be a role model and my absolute rejection of discrimination of any kind.”
Though the comments have largely been forgiven and forgotten in the combat sports community, it’s clear that Khamzat Chimaev is still holding onto that grudge.
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