Devin Haney says he will entertain promoter Eddie Hearn’s offer to face IBF light welterweight champion Liam Paro in Australia if it “makes sense.”
Haney’s Cryptic “Makes Sense” Comment
Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) isn’t saying what he meant by his cryptic “makes sense” comment, but it could mean that he’s willing to travel to Australia as the challenger to Paro (25-0, 15 KOs) if Hearn pays him the kind of money that he would get as a world champion.
Considering that this is essentially Haney heading toward a near-certain defeat, you can’t blame him if he wants a nice deal from Hearn to fight Liam Paro. Haney’s chances of beating Paro would be poor based on his performance against Ryan Garcia.
“Of course, I want to make the best fights. I’m that kind of fighter,” said Devin Haney to Ariel Helwani’s channel when asked if he’d be interested in fighting IBF light welterweight champion Liam Paro, who Hearn promotes,
“If everything makes sense, of course, I would love to. I went to Australia twice [to fight George Kambosos Jr.]. I wouldn’t mind going back, but it would have to make sense for me,” said Haney.
Hearn’s Star-Making Plans for Paro
Hearn wants to build Paro into a star, but he’ll need to come up with a sizable offer if he wants to use Haney as a stepping-stone opponent. With the Australian PPV money, a fight between the two could make Haney good money, but it would be one where he might lose.
Paro has good power and skills that would take advantage of Haney’s habit of frequent clinching. Haney couldn’t use that tactic against Paro without taking many point-blank shots to the head, and if his punch resistance is still shaky from his fight with Ryan, he won’t see the final bell.
The former WBC 140-lb champion Haney is coming off a twelve-round majority decision loss to Ryan Garcia on April 20th in Brooklyn, New York. It was a bad enough loss that there’s serious doubt whether he’ll be able to come back from it.
Devin gave up his WBC title rather than face his mandatory challenger, Sandor Martin, in what would have been a potentially risky fight for Haney that he could have lost.
Some fans feel that Haney ducked Martin because he feared losing and ruining his chances of a well-paying rematch with Ryan. With Haney’s desire to sue Ryan, his chances of getting a rematch with him are slim.
Haney has got to decide which of the two he wants because he can’t have his cake and eat it, too. If he sues Ryan, he likely get the rematch. Trying to get both seems futile.