Hearn furious with WBC ordering Ryan Garcia – Joseph Diaz, wants them to face Haney

By Boxing News - 09/22/2021 - Comments

By Scott Gilfoid: Eddie Hearn was apoplectic in going on a rant in reaction to the WBC ordering Ryan Garcia vs. ‘Jo Jo’ Joseph Diaz Jr. to fight next rather than to order one of them to challenge Devin Haney for his 135-lb lightweight strap.

It doesn’t help that Haney is seen as an email champion by many fans due to him being elevated to WBC lightweight champion.

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Hearn calls the Ryan vs. Diaz Jr. fight a “Duck-off” because neither of them wanted to use their mandatory status to challenge Haney for his WBC title.

Eddie doesn’t understand why the World Boxing Council ordered the Garcia – Diaz Jr fight when both of them have already won world title eliminators against Luke Campbell and Javier Fortuna not long ago.

Haney = boring to watch

The truth is, Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) and Jo Jo Diaz Jr. (32-1-1, 15 KOs) aren’t ducking the fight with Haney (26-0, 15 KOs). There’s more money in a battle between Ryan and Jo Jo than it would be for either of them to fight Haney right now.

The combination of Haney’s excruciatingly boring fighting style and his lack of a fanbase makes him not worthy of a fight with Jo-Jo Diaz and Ryan Garcia in the eyes of many.

Image: Hearn furious with WBC ordering Ryan Garcia - Joseph Diaz, wants them to face Haney

Haney, 22, is a good fighter, but he’s not popular, and he’s not going to be unless Hearn starts matching him against better opposition.

Devin’s recent fights:

  • Jorge Linares
  • Yuriorkis Gamboa
  • Alfredo Santiago

In his last fight, Haney put in a terribly dull performance, clinching his way to a 12 round decision against 35-year-old Linares last May in Las Vegas.

Linares had Haney repeatedly hurt in the championship rounds, which resulted in him clinching for the last three rounds to avoid getting knocked out.

It’s fair to say that Haney should have been penalized twice for excessive holding and disqualified in that order, and Haney looked godawful against Linares.

Hearn labels Ryan vs. Jo Jo as “farcical’

“Have you ever known anything more farcical where two guys [Ryan Garcia and Joseph ‘Jo Jo’ Diaz Jr] win final eliminators to fight Devin Haney actually get ordered to fight each other,” said Eddie Hearn to Pro Boxing Fans.

“Firstly, when Ryan Garcia beat Luke Campbell, Golden Boy asked the WBC, ‘Don’t order the fight with Devin Haney, please,’ so they didn’t, and they ordered the Javier Fortuna fight.

“Ryan Garcia pulled out, and Jo Jo Diaz fought Javier Fortuna [and beat him]. Then Golden Boy says to the WBC, ‘Don’t order the Jo Jo Diaz – Devin Haney fight.’ So they ordered Jo Jo Diaz against Ryan Garcia. What a load of rubbish, and it’s just ridiculous.

“I feel for Devin Haney because he’s sitting there waiting to take all the big fights. Jo Jo Diaz put on Instagram the other day, ‘Oh, Eddie Hearn is talking s***.’ What am I talking s*** for? You’re mandatory for Devin Haney.

“He [Jo Jo Diaz Jr]  turns around and says, ‘Why didn’t the champion [Haney] ask to order it?’ Well, I’ve never known a champion to ask the governing body to order the mandatory challenger. The mandatory challenger, all he should want is to fight the champ.

“You just won a final eliminator. So Jo Jo Diaz and Ryan Garcia are not fighting you this year. So what are you going to do? Are you going to take a warm-up fight or something? Fight Devin Haney. He [Jo Jo] won’t fight Devin Haney because he knows he’ll get beat, that’s why.

“So it’s ridiculous. What’s the point of having a final eliminator if you’re not going to order that against a champion? And then two guys [Ryan Garcia and Joseph Diaz Jr] duck Devin Haney, and then you make them fight each other. It’s a duck-off,”  said Hearn.

Gilfoid disagrees with Hearn on the Ryan Garcia vs. Joseph ‘Jo Jo’ Diaz Jr. fight being “farcical.” Boxing fans are already looking forward to seeing Ryan battle Jo Jo Diaz, and it resonates more for hardcore and casual boxing fans in the U.S than a match with Haney.

If Hearn wants fighters to stop bypassing fights with Haney, he needs to build up his guy by putting him in with fighters that fans want to see him fight, and Hearn has dropped the ball big time on that end.

Why in the world did Hearn match Haney against 40-year-old  Yuriorkis Gamboa and 35-year-old Jorge Linares recently? Hearn could have put Haney in with one of the talented younger fighters at 135 in a sink or swim type of fight.

Haney needs an opponent

“Well, we’re trying to fight a big fight for him,” Hearn said when asked where does Haney goes from here now that his two mandatory challengers Ryan Garcia and Jo Jo Diaz Jr., have decided to fight each other inside of him.

“Ryan Garcia against Devin Haney is an amazing fight. Jo Jo Diaz against Devin Haney is an amazing fight, but Golden Boy won’t let Jo Jo Diaz fight Devin Haney because he knows he’ll get beat,” said Hearn.

“Jo Jo Diaz won’t fight Devin Haney because he knows he’ll get beat. If not, prove me wrong. He won’t do it, and I didn’t know they’d [WBC] ordered the fight.

“I wrote to [WBC president] Mauricio [Sulaiman] last night, and he said, ‘Oh, we’ve ordered Ryan Garcia against Jo Jo Diaz. But by the way, we’re more than happy for Devin Haney to fight Jo Jo Diaz.’

“So no excuses. Don’t turn around and say, ‘Oh, we can’t do that fight now because of the WBC.’ They’ve put it in writing, and they’re happy for Jo Jo Diaz to fight Devin Haney. Make the fight,” said Hearn.

Lomachenko would fight Haney

If Hearn wants to find an opponent for Haney’s next fight, he needs to get on the horn and call Top Rank to set up a battle between Devin and Vasily Lomachenko.

I doubt that Hearn will make that move because Lomachenko would beat the brakes off Haney, but at least he would stop bellyaching for a second about no one wanting to fight Devin.

Hearn isn’t crazy enough to let Haney within 3,000 miles of a talent like Lomachenko because he knows what the result would be.

Good options for Haney’s next fight:

  • Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero
  • Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz
  • Richard Commey
  • Masayoshi Nakatani
  • Jose Zepeda
  • Jose Pedraza