Bill Haney says he wants Devin Haney to face Jack Catterall in the UK rather than the U.S. because he wants to do something for the British fans.
He doesn’t say whether it will require that Turki Alalshikh finance the fight because, with the purse that Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) would probably want, he might not get the kind of loot that he’s looking for if Catterall’s promoter Eddie Hearn can’t offer it.
On paper, this would probably be the biggest fight Catterall can get at 140, even bigger than Teofimo Lopez, who hasn’t proven to be a draw despite holding the WBO light welterweight title since 2023.
Haney Wants to Fight in the UK
Catterall’s lack of offense, low work rate, and skittish nature when under attack are clearly why Haney and Bill want to fight with him. He did not look impressive in his fight against Regis Prograis last Saturday night, and they know he’s an easy mark.
“Who else is better than Catterall? We’re not saying Jack here. We’re saying Jack in the UK in his hometown where everybody believes in him is what we find interesting,” said Bill Haney to Thaboxingvoice about wanting his son, Devin Haney, to face Jack Catterall in the UK.
You can’t blame Haney and Bill for targeting Catterall because it’s a very winnable fight for them as we saw last Saturday in his fight against Regis Prograis. Catterall lacks the killer instinct, and seems timid when under attack. He was running all around the ring when he was under attack by Prograis.
“It’s an opportunity to go fight in the UK,” said Bill. “It’s not a feat for the faint of heart with Devin being an A-side champion in America going to Australia, going to the UK. I think a fight against Catterall at 140 keeps us right in line for Teofimo Lopez or any of the champions at 140.”
I don’t think Haney and Bill would want anything to do with Catterall if he was a dangerous puncher. This is more about Haney seeing weakness in Catterall, and he wants to take advantage of it.
“I think a fight against Blair Cobbs at 147 lines us up to fight for a belt at 147 against one of the champions there,” said Bill. “Catterall is not big enough to demand to us that we go there. It’s about going there for the UK fans. That’s definitely on our check off list.”
Bill has a generous attitude about wanting to give to UK fans, but it’s very hard to believe that this is a selfless move on his part. He’s got to realize that there’s money to be made in the UK with the big crowds, and it’ll help Haney’s popularity to be seen there beating Catterall in front of a large audience.
“If Jack Catterall gets the UK fans going, then there’s their guy. That’s an opportunity for us to go there. It’s about teaming up with Turki Alalshikh and, of course, Eddie Hearn to make that fight what it could potentially be. If the fight doesn’t happen with Catterall, we can go back home and fight someone there,” said Bill Haney.
It still remains to be seen if Turki will be interested in financing a fight between Haney and Catterall. If he does, he’ll likely want the fight in Saudi Arabia rather than in the UK, but that wouldn’t change anything. Haney would do it because the money would be excellent.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Haney vs. Catterall fight happens because Devin’s purse requirements will make it difficult to do without Turki’s involvement. Hearn would likely balk if Haney asks for a huge amount of money for a fight against Catterall.
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