Devin Haney needs to give DAZN more than victories if he wants the broadcaster to celebrate its investment. The WBO welterweight champion must produce performances that leave viewers wanting to watch his next fight.
Haney confirmed his partnership with DAZN on social media, promising big fights and plans to promote other fighters through Devin Haney Promotions.
Happy to announce the partnership with @DAZNBoxing! Looking to make the best fights & promote the best fighters in the world! InshaAllah 🤝
— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) October 23, 2026
That sounds good on announcement day. Delivering entertainment once the bell rings is the harder part.
Wins over Jose Ramirez and Brian Norman Jr. did nothing to silence critics who find his style unwatchable. The excessive clinching, light jabs, and constant retreat got his hand raised, but they created long, dreary rounds that send casual fans looking for the remote.
DAZN can trumpet his belts across three weight classes all it wants. Glossy marketing only goes so far when the audience remembers spending twelve rounds waiting for a fight to break out.
A unification bout with IBF titleholder Liam Paro gives Haney another belt to collect, but it changes nothing if he falls back into his default mode. Nobody expects him to take foolish risks, yet there is a massive gap between smart defense and simply running out the clock behind a jab-and-grab routine. He needs to throw combinations, follow up when he lands, and stop killing the action with constant holding.
Belts look nice on digital flyers, but thrilling action is the only thing that sells subscriptions. As for his promotional ambitions, signing fighters means nothing until he actually secures dates and spends money on someone other than himself. Right now, his value begins and ends with what he produces in the ring, and if he keeps putting fans to sleep, DAZN will have an impossible task trying to sell his appearances.