t’s probably fair to say boxing fans got a little excited when the fight between Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez was announced a while back, a done deal for Saudi Arabia on August 16. But the excitement didn’t last very long, as Lopez – for reasons that basically only he knows – opted to walk away from the fight just a day or so after it was announced.
Citing “personal reasons” for not wanting the fight with Haney, Lopez has baffled fans, and he has baffled Bob Arum. Who knows who Lopez will fight next? But Haney has his own career to worry about and, as he said to TMZ Sports just recently, he is “moving on.”
“The Dream” demands the biggest names after Lopez no-show
As to who Haney wants to fight next now that Lopez is out, “The Dream” said he wants to fight “the best fighters in the world.”
“The proof is in the pudding,” Haney said with regards to Lopez bailing out of the fight with him. “We gave him a chance to sign a contract. I signed my part of it, so it was up to him. He didn’t do it, so now we’re moving on. We’ll see who is next. It is what it is. I’m willing to fight the best fighters in the world. I want to fight the best fighter in the world – so, we’ll see.”
It will of course be interesting to see who Haney does fight next, or who he and his team try to negotiate a fight with next. There doesn’t seem to be much chance of that Haney-Ryan Garcia rematch happening this year, if at all, what with Garcia being advised by Oscar De La Hoya to sit out the remainder of the year, this after having undergone surgery on his right hand following his disappointing loss to Rolly Romero.
From Hitchins to Barrios—Haney’s wild wish list
But there are some big fights out there for Haney, potentially at least, at 140 or at a catch weight, and at 147. Haney against Richardson Hitchins would be decent, providing Hitchins gets past George Kambosos. Or maybe Haney against Brian Norman Jr, should Norman get past Jin Sasaki, could happen. Or, for a wilder suggestion, how about Haney against the winner of the Mario Barrios-Manny Pacquiao fight?
Haney didn’t look good last time out, when he appeared gun-shy in his win over Jose Ramirez, and what he really needs is a stellar performance. But how badly did that knockdown-filled loss to Garcia take out of Haney?
