Paro Blames Haney For The Fight Not Happening – ‘He Wasn’t Serious’
IBF Junior Welterweight Champion Liam Paro blamed David Haney for the fight not happening.
The pair were reportedly in talks for a fight that would have seen Haney have his first bout since Ryan Garcia. Haney was dropped three times on his way to a majority decision defeat. But the result was turned into a no-contest after Garcia failed VADA tests for Ostarine, meaning Haney kept his undefeated record. Devin then vacated his WBC Junior Welterweight Title after only Top Tank made a single purse bid for his mandatory Sandor Martin.
Haney is back in training as he eyes his next fight. Paro was seen as a legitimate contender since he is signed to Matchroom, who also works with Haney. Paro is the IBF Champion after having beaten Subriel Matias in his last fight to cause a major upset. The Matias fight had no rematch clause, meaning that Paro was free to seek out other opponents. A fight with Haney made sense since Paro was not the biggest puncher after Haney suffered when he faced Garcia.
Paro On Haney
It also offers Haney an opportunity to bounce back and secure another world title, putting him in line for unification bouts in the 140-pound division. There are still big fights out there against Teofimo Lopez or the Garcia rematch. Haney would have to travel to Australia to face Paro since he is the champion.
Haney has already done this when he boxed George Kambosos Jr. twice. He defeated Kambosos in the first fight to become the Undisputed Lightweight Champion. He then defended the belts again in Australia, beating him in a similar fashion. While that may have been the case, Paro has said that Haney was simply demanding too much money.
“Look, I believe a lot of it is talk until you just got your contract signed. You know how boxing tries to sell fights. There are a lot of back-and-forth banters. But, look, he called me out. I responded straight away. Like I said, I will fight anyone. I have wanted that fight for a long time. We heard it. You have seen that he outpriced himself for the fight. Ask him for the silly money. He doesn’t bring a belt to the table. Look, we just moved on. We could tell he wasn’t serious about it. So, we just moved on,” Paro said
Haney’s Options
Those comments are understandable since Haney’s commercial value has dropped. The sole purse bid for the Sandor Martin showed that. Haney has also received backlash for his behavior towards Garcia. Haney sued Garcia alongside Golden Boy Promotions for battery, fraud and breach of contract.
He has received a lot of criticism, especially from Tim Bradley, who felt that Haney’s brand had been damaged. He urged Haney to move on and focus on returning to winning ways by having more boxing bouts. The breakdown in talks with Paro also suggests that Haney’s next fight is uncertain, leaving questions over whether he will stay at 140 or move up the weight divisions. Either way, Haney will want to return to the ring as soon as possible.
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