Devin Haney is one of the most skilled fighters in the sport of boxing today, an undisputed champion at just 24 and boasting an undefeated record with scalps including Vasily Lomachenko, Joseph Diaz and Yuriorkis Gamboa.
It’s no surprise that the American has brushed off a callout from a UFC fighter, then.
The most famous crossover bout came in 2017 when Floyd Mayweather Jr welcomed MMA superstar Conor McGregor into the boxing sphere.
The Las Vegas event – in which Mayweather toyed with and stopped McGregor – saw each man earn passed the $100 million mark, so it’s no wonder that others looked to follow suit.
More recently, Jake Paul secured a professional boxing license and has largely dined out on defeating former UFC fighters. Whilst not as successful as ‘May-Mac’, the YouTuber-turned-fighter is regularly posting high numbers.
Tyson Fury is in on the action now, securing a Saudi Arabia payday against hard-hitting Francis Ngannou.
Sean O’Malley – the recently crowned UFC Bantamweight Champion – is a rising star in his discipline, but has already expressed an interest in crossing over.
First he called out Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis with no success, and now has set his sights on former undisputed lightweight champion, Devin Haney.
Responding to the 24-year-old on X, O’Malley said he would ‘break’ Haney. The champion boxer highlighted the record of those who had tried to switch to boxing in the past, saying ‘I guess y’all MMA punks haven’t learned yet.’
I guess yall MMA punks haven’t learned yet.. https://t.co/PO2yxS0gHt
— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) September 14, 2023
Haney has legacy on his mind instead. He’s currently close to signing a fight with WBC super-lightweight champ, Regis Prograis. The bout, rumoured for San Francisco, would see Haney become two-weight champion with a win.