By Allan Fox: Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe made it clear today that it doesn’t matter that Devin Haney is the undisputed lightweight champion because it doesn’t mean he’s going to get a chance to fight Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis.
Ellerbe says Tank picks who he wants to fight, and besides, Haney’s promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank already has Shakur Stevenson that he intends on fighting Devin for the undisputed lightweight championship next.
Arum already mentioned that he believes Haney will be moving up to 140 because he’s outgrown the 135-lb division. Once Haney moves up, Arum says Vasily Lomachenko will fight Shakur for a title.
Ellerbe says Gervonta will beat Haney if that fight happens. He also says that Arum views Shakur as better than Haney. Devin’s contract with Top Rank will expire with his fight next month against Lomachenko on May 20th.
Will Tank Davis fight Devin Haney?
“Everything that he does, Tank does better. Everything,” Leonard Ellerbe to Fight Hub TV about his belief that Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis is superior to Devin Haney in every department.
“He’s a very good fighter, though. This is the part that I wouldn’t say annoys me. You’ll hear people clamoring, ‘Oh, the winner of this and the winner of that.’ That s**t don’t work like that,” Ellerbe said, talking about the boxing fans that want to see the winner of the Devin Haney vs. Vasily Lomachenko and Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia meet to settle who the top dog is at 135.
“What did the promoter for Top Rank say about what’s going to happen with their fight [Haney vs. Lomachenko], about what they’re doing? That’s what they’re doing,” said Ellerbe about the winner of Haney-Lomachenko to defend against the winner of tonight’s fight between Shakur Stevenson and Shuichiro Yoshino.
“Him [Bob Arum of Top Rank] and his staff strategically set that whole thing up to bring Haney in and keep all that in that mix.
“Tank is going to decide who he’s going to fight next anyway. I’m just telling you all that. They didn’t do all that just to sit there and go make a fight where they’re not going to make a bunch of money.
“I’m going to put this out there. Just because you [Haney] have belts, that doesn’t make you an A-side. Belts or no belts, Tank is that dude. People don’t understand how that kind of stuff works. But at the highest level, this is how it goes.
“Arum was strategic in setting that whole thing up for his guy [Shakur Stevenson]. He has a bunch of lightweight guys coming up. So in his mindset, like any other promoter would do, I’m not knocking what he did. He’s going to do whatever he can to keep that over there with his guy to give them opportunities.
“What the f**k is he going to try and make a deal where he can’t offer us no deal anyway. To try and make a deal for something that isn’t for a bunch of money [Haney vs. Gervonta Davis] to even tempt him [Tank] to go do that. No, he’s trying to build his young fighters out there.
“As it relates to this, and this is kind of funny, and I’m going to put this out there too. It’s going to p**s some people off, but Bob Arum don’t even think he’s [Haney] the best fighter in the [Top Rank] stable. Yeah, he don’t.
“It’s none of my business anyway. I don’t care how they do. He’s made that known,” said Ellerbe when told that Arum has more belief in another one of his fighters [Shakur Stevnson] in his Top Rank stable than he does Haney. “That tells you everything you need to know.”
