Jay Prince accuses Bill Haney of stopping Devin Haney’s proposed fight with Shakur Stevenson, claiming the father got in the way of a contest his son wanted.
Prince’s account puts the blame directly on Bill. He claims the fighters had agreed to meet at 145 pounds before Haney’s side sought to change the weight to 147, leaving Shakur’s preparation without a fight.
“I think Devin wanted to fight. I think Bill didn’t want to fight, and I think they figured out a way to sabotage the fight,” Prince told Fight Hub TV.
That is a serious accusation, although Prince offered his interpretation of Bill’s motives rather than evidence establishing them. His position is that Devin was willing, while Bill never liked the matchup.
“I don’t think they ever wanted to fight. I think Devin did. I don’t think Bill never liked that fight, and he figured out a way to stop it.”
Prince also denied that a rehydration clause existed, contradicting Haney’s account that such a restriction had been one of the obstacles.
“No dehydration clause. We agreed at 45, and Shakur was training for the fight,” Prince said.
An agreed catchweight and a rehydration restriction are separate conditions. Prince accepts that the proposed fight involved coming below the welterweight limit, but denies there was an additional restriction on weight gained afterward.
His explanation still leaves the two camps telling different stories about where negotiations failed. Prince describes a late request to change an agreed weight. Haney has cited a rehydration clause that Prince insists never existed.
Shakur’s team is also drawing a line on moving to welterweight. Prince said they would consider Haney at 147 in another year or year and a half, but would not let outside pressure dictate that move now.
That leaves little prospect of an immediate revival. Prince believes Shakur could beat Haney at welterweight, yet his team wants to choose when he moves there. Unless one side changes its position on weight, the accusations will keep producing more action than the proposed fight.
