Devin Haney posted on X last night that “only one person” can put together a fight between him and light welterweight contender Jack Catterall, and that’s Turki Alalshikh. Haney wants Turki to put together a fight between him and Catterall (30-1, 13 KOs) and is obviously hoping that it will be a well-paying affair.
(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
Will Turki Show Interest in Haney-Catterall?
On paper, Haney vs. Catterall is not the type of fight that Turki Alalshikh would be interested in because it would only interest British fans. Americans have seen how Catterall fights, using a Shakur style, and they won’t want to watch him and Haney fight on one of Turki’s Riyadh Season cards.
Haney still needs to be rebuilt after his loss to Ryan Garcia, and he’s not the type of prime material that Turki would likely want for one of his high-paying events. If Turki were to use Haney, it would be better for him to match him against someone with power who will be looking to finish what Ryan started last April.
With Catterall, his fighting style is too negative, involving a lot of running, and would be too similar to Haney’s. It would be like two magnets repelling each other and repulsing the paying fans who would order the fight on PPV.
The Matchroom-promoted Catterall also included Turki in a post on X, wanting him to help put the fight together with Haney. It’s unknown why Catterall didn’t direct the post to his promoter, Eddie Hearn, because for a fight against a non-star like Haney, it shouldn’t require Turki’s deep pockets.
Haney and Catterall aren’t big-money fighters. Indeed, neither are world champions now, and the future is murky for both, given their lack of punching power.
Catterall turned in a boring performance last Saturday night, winning a 12-round unanimous decision against the old, depleted-looking Regis Prograis at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England.
In the aftermath of the fight, fans were less than impressed with what they saw from Catterall because he showed little on offense apart from the two knockdowns in the ninth and was on a constant retreat when the gunshy-looking 35-year-old Prograis would attempt to throw.
Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) lost his last fight against Ryan Garcia and chose not to defend his WBC light welterweight title against mandatory Sandor Martin. He’s now without a fight, and it’s unknown when he’ll fight again.
Devin’s father, Bill Haney, has been badgering Ryan to sign up for drug testing with VADA, which is believed to be the first step in starting negotiations for a rematch.
Ryan, who Haney is suing, wants nothing to do with signing for VADA right now. It’s unclear if he’ll entertain a rematch with Haney due to the bad blood over his lawsuit and the big production he’s made since his loss to him on April 20th.
Only one person could make the fight with @jack_catt93 & that’s @Turki_alalshikh 😅
— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) October 28, 2024
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