“Both of them need each other to bring out the levels that are really there,” Bill Haney said Fight Hub TV about a Devin-Shakur fight.
“That’s the kind of fight the fans want to see.”
Bill later moved on to Keyshawn and made it clear that he doesn’t see the Norfolk native in the same category financially as some of the bigger names around Devin.
“A regular night,” Bill said when asked about Devin battling Keyshawn.
“He’s a bad business.”
The comment was aimed more at Keyshawn’s pulling power than his ability. Although Keyshawn has continued to build a following and remains popular in Norfolk, he has yet to become a proven national attraction capable of driving huge pay-per-view numbers on his own.
That has become a major factor in the welterweight division, where the biggest fights increasingly rely on outside funding from Saudi Arabia chairman Turki Alalshikh to meet the money expectations of top fighters.
From the Haney side, a fight against Keyshawn could seem like a high-risk matchup without the same financial upside associated with names like Ryan Garcia, Gervonta Davis, or even Shakur Stevenson.
The Haneys also made it clear during the interview that Devin has no plans to move back down in weight after settling at welterweight.
“We’re not going down,” Bill said. “We’re not going back to lightweight.”
A fight between Devin and Shakur remained one of the most discussed bouts in boxing for several years, although negotiations repeatedly stalled over weight and financial terms.
Bill claimed Devin had previously offered Shakur 25 percent of the revenue for the fight, but no deal was reached. If both fighters sign with Zuffa Boxingit’s a logical one for the company to make.
The only problem that could get in the way of the fight is if Shakur insists on a weight handicap, claiming Haney’s belt at 144 and attaching a 10-lb rehydration clause for good measure.
