That missing detail didn’t stop Bradley from piecing things together.
“Why take a Devin Haney fight, you know, for that amount of money and then, you know, take a L, possibly take a L? Now you lose your negotiating tool because now you lost,” Bradley said on his channel.
Bradley’s theory is that Keyshawn has more to gain by protecting his bargaining position if substantially more money may become available elsewhere. He pointed to Richardson Hitchins pulling out of his Oscar Duarte fight on fight day as another example of a fighter passing on a dangerous matchup with Zuffa offering lucrative deals.
The financial side of the Haney fight gives Keyshawn a much simpler explanation. Top Rank won the WBO purse bid at $8.55 million, leaving Davis roughly $2.14 million from the 75-25 split. That was far below the approximately $5 million he was rumored to be seeking.
Turning down $2.14 million to fight Haney doesn’t require a grand Zuffa plan. If the $5 million figure was accurate, Keyshawn’s camp simply may not have believed the money justified the risk.
Bradley sees something bigger. Shakur and Conor Benn have been linked with major Zuffa money, while Hitchins and Edgar Berlanga are among the other established fighters connected with the promotion. From Bradley’s perspective, taking a dangerous fight for substantially less money makes little sense if Keyshawn believes a better deal may eventually be available.
By the end of the video, Bradley had gone from considering the possibility to sounding convinced he had cracked the case.
“Keyshawn, what he trying to do? He trying to go over there to Zuffa with his boy,” Bradley said. “He trying to go over there with Shakur and Hitchins and all of them over there.”
Bradley also called Keyshawn’s decision to pass on Haney a “duck,” taking the accusation to comedic extremes by describing it as the biggest one he has seen in his lifetime.
There are holes in the theory. Keyshawn’s contract situation isn’t publicly established, and there is no confirmation that he intends to sign with Zuffa. The difference between the rumored $5 million request and the approximately $2.14 million available for Haney provides a straightforward reason for walking away.
Still, Bradley’s theory is fun because it isn’t impossible. If Keyshawn believes considerably more money is available elsewhere, risking his market value against Haney for $2.14 million may not look particularly appealing.
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