It is emblematic of the sport of boxing that the lightweight division has four outstanding young fighters, but none of them seem likely to fight each other any time soon.
With undisputed champion Teofimo Lopez seemingly tied up with a forthcoming IBF mandatory title defence against George Kambosos Jr, fellow belt holders Ryan Garcia, Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney have been engaged in a war of words rather than punches.
In theory, Garcia’s breakthrough win over Luke Campbell in January rubber-stamped a clash with WBC title holder Devin Haney, but this being boxing that fight seems further away than ever. WBC ‘Interim’ champion Garcia, first in line for Haney, now seems likely to fight Dominican Javier Fortuna, next in that bewildering WBC title queue.
That leaves American Haney (25-0, 15 KOs) without a foe for his mooted return on April 3 and his promoter Eddie Hearn believes three-weight champion Jorge Linares, the WBC’s No.3 contender, is the next best thing with the beasts of the division seemingly looking in other directions.
“For Devin, the plan is still to get out in April,” Hearn told ‘The Ak & Barak Show’, broadcast on DAZN and SiriusXM. “If Ryan Garcia won’t fight him, the next guy in line is Javier Fortuna. I’m hearing rumours that maybe Ryan Garcia might fight Javier Fortuna. If that’s the case, I’d love the Jorge Linares fight for Devin Haney, quite frankly. I think that’s a really good fight.
“I think if we can’t get one of the other champions or Ryan Garcia, Linares is like the next credible guy. You know, I don’t think there’s anyone that could be disappointed with Haney against Linares. I think it’s by far the biggest test of his career so far.
“He’s live, he’s ambitious, he’s dangerous, he’s credible, he’s proven. And that’s the kind of fight Devin needs next, because we all know Devin Haney is a phenomenal talent. But you still have to prove it through your resume. And I feel that he wants Ryan Garcia so bad, he wants Teofimo Lopez, he wants Tank [Davis.] But outside of those guys, Fortuna as well, Linares is one that I really like. I’ve had Linares over three times to the UK and I’ve never been able to beat him. So, I believe I’ve finally got a fighter that can beat Jorge Linares. But we will see.”
Venezuelan Linares (47-5, 29 KOs) has won two in a row since a shocking one-round blowout loss against Pablo Cesar Cano in January 2019.