#1 WBC ranked 140-lb contender Sandor Martin has inked a co-promotional deal with the powerhouse Top Rank, who will use their muscle to ensure that the talented Spanish fighter gets a title shot against champion Devin Haney next.
It will be interesting to see how Haney weasels out of defending his WBC title against Sandor. Haney will likely vacate the belt and move up to 147 rather than take this fight and watch it bomb miserably on PPV.
It’s fair to say Devin can forget about trying the step-aside route to swerve his obligation because it’s unlikely Sandor would agree to one. The WBC belt would be a valuable trinket for the talented Spaniard, as he can use it to lure these fighters:
– Ryan Garcia
– Teofimo Lopez
– Gervvonta Davis
– Shakur Stevenson
– Vasily Lomachenko
Sandor Ready to Chase Haney
Top Rank singing the Spaniard Sandor Martin (42-3, 15 KOs) is terrible news for WBC light welterweight champion Haney, as it means he will have to face him or vacate his belt.
Here’s the problem: If Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) does fight Sandor, it would be on PPV because Devin sees himself as a pay-per-view level fighter now.
Unfortunately for Haney, he’s not a PPV draw, and fighting Sandor Martin behind a paywall would be poison. Haney cannot afford another disastrous PPV event because he needs to be able to negotiate favorable terms with the bigger names, and he can’t do that if he’s churning out poor numbers like clockwork each time he fights.
It’s bad enough that Haney has adopted the Shakur Stevenson style of fighting, becoming a 100% copycat of his style, but even more boring. Shakur at least sometimes tries to be entertaining, but Haney stinks up the joint when he fights, clinching 24/7 and hitting & running.
The buy rate for a Haney-Martin fight would likely be far less than the dreadfully poor 50K buys Haney’s last fight against former WBC 140-lb champion Regis Prograis brought in last December.
“Devin Haney calls himself ‘The Dream,’ but I am his worst nightmare,” said Sandor Martin. “I will be the next WBC junior welterweight world champion. Whether he wants to lose his title to me in the ring or run up the scales to welterweight, the choice is his. I am excited for the next chapter of my career with OPI Since 82 and Top Rank in my corner.”