NEW YORK -- Although some believe his star power took a hit, in most instances, Devin Haney is still the A side.

So, with the ability to generate revenue like few others, Haney can practically pick and choose who he wants to fight. As the 26-year-old began sifting through contenders, he stopped on Jose Ramirez for Friday's Fatal Fury card in New York's Times Square on DAZN.

The 32-year-old is relatively young, still thought of highly and once held two belts simultaneously. Haney, to his credit, picked him. There are a few reasons why the former two-division champ landed on him. For starters, Haney wanted someone who wasn’t viewed as a pushover.

Also, he wanted to prove that his loss to Ryan Garcia, which was ultimately overturned, was nothing more than a blip on the radar.

The way Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) sees it, there’s nothing better than getting into a dogfight with an elite fighter. Some of his contemporaries, however, have no idea what that feels like.

“That’s just the type of fighter that I am, the type of person that I am,” Haney said Wednesday about why Ramirez was selected. “I’m not into fighting Josh Padley’s and stuff like that. I’m into fighting real fights.”

Haney’s jab outside of the ring might be just as good as the one he throws inside of it.

In February, Shakur Stevenson took on Padley, a late replacement. To the surprise of no one, he was thoroughly outclassed and beaten to the tune of a ninth-round stoppage.

Haney won’t drag Padley too much through the mud, but when it comes to fighting someone on that level the former undisputed champ isn’t sure he’d have the motivation to for it.

“To his defense, he was a replacement, but I’m just saying: I want fights that I can get up for,” Haney said. “Ramirez is the type of guy that I can really get up for.”