Bill Haney sounded like a fisherman who couldn’t land a big fish, complaining that Teofimo Lopez chose not to go through with the August 16th fight against Devin Haney in Riyadh. As Bill tells it, this was the second time trying to negotiate a fight with “Gordo” Teofimo (22-1, 13 KOs).
Lopez, Garcia Crossed
Bill said they have a “hit list” to work from now that his attempts at landing Teofimo and Ryan Garcia have fallen apart. He’s not saying who is on the hit list, but it’s reasonable to assume that it’s fighters that Devin would have a good chance of beating.
He’s not going to target fighters like Jaron Ennis and Brian Norman Jr. because those are guys that he would have no chance of beating. With Bill’s ability to pick them, he’ll wait for the smoke to clear from the Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios fight next month on July 19th, and target the winner. That would be a classic move. If not them, Conor Benn would be the other logical choice.
“Turki [Alalshikh] has taken money out of the equation. But this is our second time sitting down with Teofimo Lopez. Me and Devin are committed to delivering the biggest fights in boxing. If Gordo [Teofimo] ain’t ready, Gordo ain’t ready,” said Bill Haney to The Ring, complaining about Teofimo Lopez choosing not to fight him.
Haney’s Mount Rushmore
“His [Devin] hit list is real. And we look forward to continuing our quest to cement his face on the Mount Rushmore of boxing. Now go ahead and cross Teofimo Lopez off the list — just like Ryan Garcia. Who’s next?” said Bill.
Well, let me make some suggestions. Haney can fight for a world title next against WBA ‘regular’ welterweight champion Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero. That’s a perfectly reasonable backup plan for Devin, and he would be getting a title shot that he doesn’t deserve after his dreadful performance against Jose Ramirez on the ‘City of Wolves’ card on May 2nd at Times Square. Haney’s performance was easily the worst on the entire card, and that’s saying a lot.
Devin’s Killer Options
If Haney isn’t feeling up to taking on the heavy-handed Rolly, he could face one of these killers next:
– Brian Norman Jr.: WBO welterweight champion
– Shakhram Giyasov
– Eimantas Stanionis
– Gary Antuanne Russell: WBA 140-lb champion
– Richardson Hitchins: IBF 140-lb champ
– Alberto Puello: WBC 140-lb champ
Last Updated on 06/05/2025
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