Bradley has been consistent on this point. Haney does not just beat opponents. He changes how they see themselves. The record shows a decision loss. The damage, Bradley argues, shows up later.
He points first to George Kambosos Jr. Before Haney, Kambosos was a unified lightweight champion with momentum and belief. Haney beat him twice. After that, Bradley says, the blueprint was out. The surprise factor was gone. Kambosos kept fighting, but the edge never fully came back.
Regis Prograis is another example Bradley returns to. Prograis was dropped, controlled, and outboxed over twelve rounds in 2023. The loss did not end his career, but it forced a reset. Different expectations. A quieter trajectory. A fighter recalibrating where he actually stood.
Bradley even includes Vasiliy Lomachenko. In his telling, Lomachenko walked away after losing to Haney because he had reached a personal conclusion. “He retired after losing to Haney,” Bradley said. “Deebo Dev is for real.”
The most telling sign, Bradley believes, is how fighters behave now. Extra clauses. Rehydration limits. Hesitation. Haney has become a fight people want protection from, not opportunity through.
Bradley joked that Haney has retired more fighters than Social Security. It was said lightly, but the point landed. Haney is no longer dismissed. He is treated as a problem with consequences, and opponents seem to know it before the bell even rings. Fighters seem to understand the risk now, even before the contract stage.
