Devin Haney may be a free agent, but he has his clear preferences when it comes to his promotional partners.
The former undisputed lightweight champion became a titlist in the 140-pound division last Saturday night in San Francisco, when he dominated Regis Prograis over 12 rounds to win a unanimous decision in what was Haney's first attempt at the junior welterweight limit.
The card was organized by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, which previously promoted Haney from May of 2019 to December 2021. After that stint, Haney linked up with rival outfit Top Rank, fighting three times under the Las Vegas-based company. Haney became undisputed champion at 135 during that time, with a unanimous decision over George Kambosos Jr., whom he defeated again in the immediate rematch.
Haney and Hearn have long been on good terms, and Hearn has insisted that Haney is more of a friend than simply a business client.
Now with Haney coming off arguably the biggest win of his career, attention has turned to his next move.
Bill Haney, the father and trainer of Haney, indicated after the fight on Saturday that he would be speaking to Hearn about working together on his son’s next fight. The elder Haney praised the British promoter’s ability to present highly attractive financial offers.
"Man, listen, ‘Fast Eddie,’ with all that money, man, you know what I mean, it’s always going to be hard to not do business with him,” the elder Haney told iFL TV. “We’ll sit down after this. He always puts something on the table, one of those deals that you just don’t want to refuse. So, I don’t expect anything different.
“Of course, Devin will make that decision. He’s the boss. And I just put the deals on the table and let him look at it and he decides what to do.”
Matchroom has a hefty broadcasting deal with the streaming platform DAZN, which showcased the Haney vs. Prograis fight on Pay-Per-View.
Haney told reporters after Saturday’s main event that he is entertaining the idea of moving up to the 147-pound division.
Sean Nam is the author of Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.