Over the previous few years, new cash has swept into boxing from enterprise pursuits wanting to get their hooks into the final nice, vastly unregulated main sport in America. These guys have been wanting to spend large cash and lose a bundle to get their ft within the door. In pursuing this “spend large, fear concerning the future later” technique, they’ve turned the enterprise the other way up and, some would possibly say, have completely messed issues up.
With most the whole lot locked up behind paywalls of some sort– pay-per-view, subscription-only apps, premium cable– total progress has flat-lined. Fighters are tied to unique contracts that get in the best way of many key bouts within the sport– the important thing bouts that, paradoxically, should be made to ensure that the large cash to essentially begin flowing in and delivering return on investments. And, now, there are indications that these free-spending boxing newcomers, who’ve handcuffed their very own potential to make big-money bouts, are pulling again of their budgets to cease the hemorrhaging of cash.
No person who loves the fighters risking their lives within the ring will ‘fess as much as it, however boxing purses have grow to be over inflated on this present ambiance. Pay needs to be scaled again for the extent of fights, producing the extent of curiosity, being broadcast nowadays.
…or…
Possibly fighters simply must discover a solution to make the big-money, big-interest bouts on their very own.
In comes Devin Haney.
The 23-year-old Haney is making much less cash than he’d like in his upcoming 4-belt light-weight title unification conflict with George Kambosos this June 4. He’s additionally agreed to battle in Kambosos’ native Australia. If he wins, he’s agreed to battle the rematch in Kambosos’ native Australia as effectively. He even signed a multi-fight co-promotional cope with DiBella Leisure (Kambosos’ promoter) and Prime Rank to get the Kombosos deal and get the battle secured for airing on ESPN.
The child made numerous concessions. Truly, he conceded on the whole lot. However he made the suitable transfer.
“To be sincere, I just about simply agreed to the whole lot that they needed,” Haney just lately informed Fighthype.com. “It doesn’t matter what it was, we didn’t argue. We didn’t get nothing our means however we didn’t do no arguing. We simply mentioned ‘no matter we will do to make the battle occur.’ If I gotta go on there on one other community, one other promoter — which is my promoter now — to make the battle occur, so be it. If I gotta rematch you twice in Australia, so be it. It didn’t matter, I simply needed the belts. I need my identify to be within the historical past books ceaselessly.
“I’m taking lots much less cash that what I needs to be making, however it’s what it’s. It’s about my identify being within the historical past books and my identify being remembered and the cash will come…once I get the belts, then I can write my very own checks.”
Sensible. Sensible. Sensible. And fairly ballsy as effectively.
Actually, although, this was the one path Haney may’ve taken to get to the place he needs to be as knowledgeable.
In current months, Haney’s profession had taken an virtually Demetrius Andrade-like vibe to it. With illogical and hyper-inflated purse expectations (due to streaming service DAZN) and, realistically, restricted drawing energy (additionally due to DAZN), he remained all risk-little reward to the highest fighters in his weight vary. His boardroom WBC title supplied little incentive for any “identify” opponent to just accept the chance of taking him on.
With ALL the light-weight titles, although, and ESPN cash behind him (which, not like DAZN cash, IS long-term sustainable), he’ll have vital extra leverage in making large fights for himself. Anybody who needs to make large enterprise at 135 will HAVE to get at it by way of him, not less than in principle. On the very least, on staff DiBella/Prime Rank, he has two tremendous opponents on deck in Kambosos and Prime Rank’s Vasily Lomachenko.
Haney’s gamble on himself is not any assure that he’ll get all the large, legacy-defining fights he needs. And, in fact, there’s no assure that he’ll beat Kambosos after which beat everybody coming at him afterwards. However the different is a way forward for spinning his wheels, cashing paychecks which may be more and more much less hefty when/if new-money boxing enterprise pursuits determine to cease working within the purple.
Haney made the one transfer accessible to him by conceding to Kambosos on the whole lot. He made the one transfer that made sense for his future as a fighter with aspirations of greatness.
Kudos to the child for doing issues the exhausting means, however completely the suitable means. Extra fighters should be prepared to gamble on themselves for a stab at greatness.
