Devin Haney has been ordered by the WBC to defend his light welterweight title against mandatory Sandor Martin next. The purse bids for the Haney vs. Martin fight are on June 18th.
Will Haney Seek Other Options?
It remains to be seen if Haney and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, will attempt to delay the fight against Martin by giving him a step aside or asking the WBC for an exemption by setting up a unification match against one of the other three champions at 140.
The real problem Haney has in fighting Sandor Martin is that it’s not one that will sell on DAZN PPV and entails much risk. Haney and his team have a big decision to make because this is a fight that he could lose. There’s little financial upside for Haney fighting Sandor.
Sandor Martin: A Threat to Haney’s Future
Getting beaten by Sandor could wreck Haney’s earning potential, finishing any hopes he has of a rematch with Ryan Garcia or a big-money fight against Gervonta Davis.
Although the southpaw Martin’s KO percentage is only 35.7, he’s got enough power in his right hook to hurt Haney and finish the process that Ryan Garcia started. In Sandor Martin’s controversial loss to Teofimo Lopez in 2022, he knocked him down twice in the fight and arguably beat him.
If Sandor could do that to Teofimo, there’s a good chance he’ll drop Haney as well and possibly knock him out.
Haney (31-1, 15 KOs) being ordered to defend the non-puncher Martin (42-3, 15 KOs) could be music to his ears right now, considering this is the type of fight he needs after losing to Ryan Garcia in a three-knockdown, 12-round majority decision defeat on April 20th.
Ryan exposed Haney’s chin in that fight, hurting him repeatedly with left hooks, and coming close to knocking him out in the seventh round when he dropped him four times. The referee, Harvey Dock, only counted one of the knockdowns, but Haney was down from punches four times in the seventh.
Sandor Martin: “I Am Going to Be a World Champion”
“This is the first step for an opportunity that I have been waiting for all my life. I know that I am not going to fail, I know that I am going to be a world champion and I only hope that everything continues on its course to see my dream come true,” said Sandor Martin to Mundo Deportivo.
Sandor ended Mikey Garcia’s career in 2021, beating him by a 10-round majority decision in a one-sided fight.