By Jake Tiernan: Devin Haney denies that he’s in negotiations to sign with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.
The rumors of Hearn on the verge of fighting the undisputed lightweight champion Haney (30-0, 15 KOs) didn’t make sense after the promoter mentioned the high price tag for that fighter.
Hearn likely quickly appraised Haney’s viability at 140 and realized it wasn’t worth pouring a massive amount of money into inking him.
The 24-year-old Haney’s career will evaporate rapidly at light welterweight if he insists on fighting the best in this weight class.
If Hearn were to sign Haney, it would only make sense to make it a short two-fight contract and feed him to Regis Prograis.
Obviously, Haney’s chances of coming out of a fight with Prograis with his unbeaten record intact are pretty much zero, even if he had the same judging crew that worked his contest against Vasyl Lomachenko.
I ain’t watch the interview I’m just reading the headline.. I am in no negotiations with Eddie about signing. https://t.co/1k2HpIJnQi
— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) June 1, 2023
It would be impossible for Haney to win rounds against Prograis with him getting batted around, dropped repeatedly, and battered to the point where those judges couldn’t score it in his favor.
Haney will likely choose to sign with PBC, as they’ve got Gervonta Davis, and that’s the direction that would eventually lead to a huge cash out for the four-belt 135-lb champion.
PBC would be more tolerant of Haney taking soft touches than Matchroom promoter Hearn, who would want value for the money he’d be paying him.
It doesn’t work for Hearn to pay Haney a boatload of money only to put him in with weak, no-name opposition for the sake of preserving his unbeaten record and taking advantage of his popularity, such as it is.
If Haney had more talent and weren’t a flash in the pan, Hearn would be courting him like mad, eagerly trying to sign him. Of course, Hearn wouldn’t be the only promoter going all out attempting to sign Haney. Top Rank, PBC, and Golden Boy would b chasing him, offering tons of cash to lure him.
Haney isn’t a massive star because, until his match against Lomachenko, which boxing fans think he lost, he’d been fighting nondescript opposition his entire career.
Although Haney recently said he contacted Hearn about the Prograis fight, he likely said that to clout chase, to mention one of the most talented fighters at 140 to give himself credibility after his controversial win over Lomachenko.
Haney isn’t crazy enough to throw his career away in his first fight at 140 against Prograis because of these reasons.
A. Lacks experience at 140
B. Not enough power to win
C. Punch inadequate to beat Prograis
D. Defense too penetrable
