Reports indicate that Benn’s April 11 fight with Regis Prograis on the Netflix card is being financed by Turki Alalshikh’s Sela endorsement rather than routine promotional operating budgets. TKO President Mark Shapiro reinforced that distinction on a financial call, saying the purse was “Saudi money, not TKO money.” This explanation places Benn’s payday within event-specific financing rather than the company’s baseline economics.
Haney understands the comparison because he decisively defeated Prograis in December 2023 to win the WBC junior welterweight title. If Prograis now appears opposite Benn in an eight-figure showcase, Haney could argue that the hierarchy supports a higher valuation for the man who already won that match.
The complication is sustainability. Saudi-backed events operate through selective, government-backed funding that does not mirror traditional American and British promoters. Haney competes primarily in the US market, where pay-per-view sales and ticket revenue still determine how high purses can realistically climb. If he plants his price at Saudi levels, some promoters may simply walk away rather than stretch their budgets to match.
Volatility adds another variable. Frank Warren’s Queensberry is said to have taken legal action against TKO and Sela in connection with the formation of Zuffa Boxing, creating uncertainty about the same platform generating these headline figures. Legal disputes don’t automatically stop business, but they make deals harder to close in a market that’s still adjusting to new money.
Haney occupies a commercial middle ground. Garcia has shown great pay-per-view appeal, while Stevenson’s reputation rests more on skill recognition than big event income. By publicly elevating the Benn figure, Haney compresses the perceived commercial divide and forces the market to reevaluate value levels in real time.
Whether the broader US market can maintain Saudi-level guarantees remains unresolved. What is clear is that Haney has publicly set his price, and the next promoter who calls will have to answer.
