Devin Haney Fined $25000 As The Undisputed Champion's Future Remains Unclear

Devin Haney may be the undisputed champion, but he is facing some tough challenges outside of the ring.

The undisputed light-weight champion’s three-fight deal with Bob Arum came to an end following his controversial win over Vasiliy Lomachenko.

The majority of the boxing community felt that the Ukrainian had come out victorious, despite the American walking away with a unanimous-decision win.

In the aftermath of the fight, there was a huge fallout between Haney and Arum on social media, as the boxer fired shots at the promoter after he felt that Loma should have been champion.

Although he had signed both fighters under his promotional company, the Top Rank CEO reportedly made the following statement.

"You won that fight easy," Arum told Loma

That did not go down well with Haney, who fired back at Arum. 

Bob old ass was sleep all fight.. I took a look at him between rounds 😴

— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) May 23, 2023

Despite this being the case, there are question marks over whether Haney is still with Top Rank.

Following the fight with Loma, Paulie Malignaggi had confirmed that the American had re-signed, something which Haney denied.

Absolutely not https://t.co/7C9bolo3Gj

— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) May 23, 2023

While that may have been the case, Malignaggi has doubled down on his beliefs.

"I heard from good sources that Haney signed with Top Rank the week of the Lomachenko fight. I know they tried to make it like they didn’t, so the decision looked less suspicious, but if Devin Haney fights any ESPN opponent next, you have your answer regarding whether he’s already signed with Top Rank. Teofimo is an ESPN opponent and there’s already slow grumblings of that fight, so I think it will be kind of obvious that I’m right about Haney signing with Top Rank." Paulie Malignaggi 

Haney’s next move will be vital, as it could determine whether he stays at 135 lbs to have a mega fight with Gervonta Davis or Shakur Stevenson.

A move up to 140 lbs, though, could see him face Regis Prograis for the WBC 140 lb belt. 

Outside of that, Haney has been fined $25,000 plus $326 in legal fees by the Nevada Athletic Commission for shoving Lomachenko during their weigh-in ahead of their May 20th, 2023 fight. 

Although Haney won the fight against Lomachenko, he had $400,000 of his purse withheld by the commission for his actions. The American was not happy, as he fired some verbal shots. 

"Get this [privileged] sore loser out of boxing. [He] makes excuses as he goes! Take your [loss] like a man & stop crying.

"It was set up for you to win for the 3rd time in your career & you failed! Tell the commission give me my 400k back for that push," Haney

Fortunately for Haney, his punishment was just a fine, as who knows what could have happened on any other given day.

However, he is building himself up to be the ‘villain’ of the boxing world, something which Floyd Mayweather Jr. used so well to benefit from as he racked up the revenue.

That is why Mayweather became the most lucrative boxer in history, as the billionaire continues to generate revenue post his retirement with his exhibitions.

Haney is still some way off that, but Teofimo Lopez has set the benchmark by demanding that it would take a nine-figure payday to get him out of retirement.

"The only way you get Teofimo back is a nine-figure contract deal because I’ve made ESPN over $100 million, and I’m still getting paid $1 million a fight. All these other fighters that have not even done a quarter of what I’ve done and accomplished in the sport, they’re getting $8, $10, $12, $15 million. So, obviously, I’m the black sheep of the industry," Lopez

Haney may be following a similar blueprint, which is why this could be the start of a new wave in boxing. But the only way for him to do that is to back up his words with his performances.

And so far, he is living up to the hype. You can stay up-to-date with the latest happenings in the world of boxing by visiting boxingblitz right here.