“I love Devin. We talked and if a fight made sense or a number made sense, but he wants crazy money,” Hearn told iFL TV. “You need someone desperate to pay to overpay the market. A bit like I did with him years ago.”
Hearn says Haney’s options are limited if he’s not willing to take on dangerous fights without a massive purse.
“If I signed Devin, I just don’t know what I would do with him.”
Hearn mentioned one possibility involving the winner of Jack Catterall’s planned fight with Shakhram Giyasov, but immediately dismissed it as unrealistic.
“Devin vs. the winner of Jack Catterall vs. Shakhram Giyasov. Okay, Devin’s not interested in that. Devin just wants big money,” Hearn said.
Even with the massive social media circus surrounding the Ryan Garcia fight, that event didn’t reach the mega-fight status many expected. While this was Haney’s peak, it proved that he needs a polarizing opponent just to get into the conversation. Without Ryan, he hasn’t brought in big PPV numbers.
Taking 50,000–60,000 buys for a 140-pound title fight against Regis Prograis is catastrophic if you’re pushing for a big purse. Hearn may have disputed the exact low-end numbers, but his recent comments prove he’s lost his shirt on those deals.
Even against a living legend like Vasily Lomachenko, 150k buy is hardly mid-level. It shows that “hardcore” fans will show up, but Haney isn’t crossing over to the mainstream.
Hearn’s recent comment “I don’t know what I’ll do with him” is basically a polite way of saying that Haney is bad for business.
Hearn admitted he overpaid years ago to build Haney’s brand. Now that the brand is built, it is not generating the return on investment to justify the “mad money” claims.
Haney’s style is technically brilliant, but is often labeled as “boring” by casual fans. In a PPV world, if you don’t knock people out or sell a massive grudge, people won’t reach for their wallets.
Bill Haney was vocal about Devin’s “undisputed” status and tri-division aspirations, but Hearn’s point is that legacy doesn’t pay the lighting bill at the arena.
Haney remains one of boxing’s most famous names, but Hearn’s comments point to a growing issue for star fighters between divisions: reputation may attract headlines, but promoters still need fights that make business sense.
