Boxing
Conor Benn was not impressed by Devin Haney's championship win, prefers this fight for Cinco de Mayo
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Devin Haney moved up in weight and not only knocked down a power puncher in Brian Norman Jr., but thoroughly outboxed him in becoming the new WBO welterweight world champion Saturday night.
But Conor Benn, fresh off his own unanimous decision over Chris Eubank Jr. last weekend, was not impressed.
“It wasn’t really a great performance in my opinion,” Benn said live on DAZN Pay-Per-View from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “[Haney] looked scared of his own shadow in there. I thought he really didn’t want to engage. He’s happy to nick rounds and nick fights. To me, there wasn't no entertainment in there, and it’s an entertainment business."
Benn added: “He puts people to sleep and I’m not talking about in the ring.”
Eddie Hearn, Benn’s Matchroom Boxing promoter, agreed with his charge.
“He doesn’t want to engage at any moment during the fight,” Hearn said.
Though Benn said he would still fight Haney, ‘The Dream’ would not be his first choice at 147 pounds. Benn said that distinction would go to the winner of the upcoming Mario Barrios vs. Ryan Garcia fight, and the British boxer said he knows the perfect weekend for such a fight to land.
“Ryan Garcia-Barrios [winner] Cinco de Mayo in Vegas,” Benn said. “That is the dream. If we can make that happen, that’s what I want next.
“If not, then we go Rolly [Romero], if not, then we can go for — I’ll keep it PG — we can keep it for Haney.”
At welterweight, Rolando Romero owns the WBA title, while Barrios is the current WBC champion.
