Eddie Hearn hoping Haney ends Linares’ domination of Matchroom fighters

By Boxing News - 04/05/2021 - Comments

By Jeff Aronow: Eddie Hearn hopes to end Matchroom Boxing’s four-fight losing streak against Jorge Linares when he challenges WBC lightweight champion Devin ‘The Dream’ Haney on May 29th.

Hearn’s Matchroom fighters Anthony Crolla [x 2], Luke Campbell, and Kevin Mitchell have all come up empty against Linares (47-5, 29 KOs) in the past, and he wants to change that when the unbeaten 22-year-old Haney defends against Linares.

Haney vs. Linares will be heading on DAZN and Sky Sports from the Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

Linares, 35, is a more advanced level fighter than the guys that the young upstart Haney has been facing since he turned pro five years ago in 2017.

Hearn is confident that Haney will win the fight, but he can’t know for sure if he’ll get the ‘W’ because right now, his past success has come against largely inferior opposition.

A loss here for Haney would be truly devastating not only for him but for Hearn and his Matchroom Boxing stable. Hearn has invested time and money into Haney’s career, believing that he’ll pay off like a stock.

But if that fails to happen, Hearn will be stuck with an albatross, and he may need to cut his losses give up on the Haney experiment. Haney has received a tremendous amount of hype, but thus far, the praise he’s been getting has been off of performances against lesser, carefully chosen opposition.

There have been whispers for a long time now that Haney isn’t the real deal, but Hearn has chosen not to listen. If Haney gets beaten by Linares, it’ll be an eye-opener for Hearn.

Image: Eddie Hearn hoping Haney ends Linares' domination of Matchroom fighters

Indeed, Linares would likely beat everyone that Haney has fought during his short career, which is why it’s difficult to know for sure how he’ll do.

“This is the breakout fight that will show the world that Devin Haney is the best lightweight on the planet,” said Hearn. “Jorge Linares is a tremendous fighter, a three-weight king that has speed, power, and plenty of experience.”

Linares is clearly a quite competent fighter, having won world titles in three different weight classes in the past. However, his chin has repeatedly let him down on big occasions, resulting in him getting knocked out in some of his biggest fights.

What Linares has going for him in this match-up on May 29th is the absence of elite-level punching power from Haney, who punches more like a 122-pounder than a 135-pounder.

Haney’s lack of power means that his only chance of beating Linares is if he can outbox him over 12 rounds, and that’s not going to be easy. Linares possesses hand speed and superior power than Haney.

In terms of technical boxing skills, Linares is more than a match for Haney. The main asset that Linares has going for him throughout his pro career is his technical ability, which is unrivaled. Where he’s fallen apart is when he’s faced the following hard sluggers:

  • Antonio Demarco
  • Sergio Thompson
  • Pablo Cesar Cano
  • Vasily Lomachenko
  • Juan Carlos Salgado

I’ve represented four fighters who have attempted to beat Jorge and failed, but this time I believe we have the future king of the division in Devin, and this is his moment,” said Hearn. “May 29, the bright lights of Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, this is the moment.”