In recent weeks, the boxing world’s buzz has centered on Richardson Hitchins—a brash, undefeated IBF junior welterweight champion—and his increasingly pointed jabs at Devin Haney. Hitchins, arguably one of the sport’s rising stars after his impressive TKO victory over former world champion George Kambosos Jr. on June 14 at Madison Square Garden, has made it clear he’s hungry for bigger challenges. Meanwhile, Devin Haney, the current WBC super lightweight titleholder, has remained relatively reserved—until now.
That calm was shattered when Bill Haney, Devin’s father and trainer, unexpectedly confronted Hitchins in what quickly became a fiery street-side exchange caught on camera.
When these two crossed paths, sparks erupted. The heated exchange began with Bill Haney’s aggressive opener: “I’ve been looking for you.” A seemingly calm Hitchins responded just as fiercely: “It’s a bounty. On a Haney.”
Bill, glaring, doubled down: “I didn’t call Peter, I didn’t call Keith, I didn’t call his whole family… I called Eddie Hearn… I’ve been looking for you.”
Here, the seasoned trainer made it clear—this wasn’t just idle talk, it was a fight campaign. Hitchins fired back: “So what we gonna do? We going to do that 47 or 40?” referring to potential catchweights or rounds, prompting Bill to mock him: “Don’t you start stuttering.” Still cool, Hitchins shot back with confidence: “Y’all don’t got a belt and Devin said he can stay with me at 140.”
Then came the moment that gave the article its headline. Bill, stepping in with icy authority, issued a trademark rebuke: “Don’t put your hands on me. Listen, Devin’s gonna be upset! Huh? Ba-ba-ba-ba…” He mimicked Hitchins’s rapid-fire delivery and concluded with: “I found him and he don’t want it!”
What does this all mean? On one hand, Hitchins—a fiery, young champion—has made it clear he craves the spotlight and a shot at Haney. His confidence isn’t unfounded: at 20–0 with eight knockouts, his rise has been meteoric. On the other, Bill Haney’s public confrontation signals a camp determined to protect their legacy and not be bullied into a fight or timeline they don’t control.
What’s next? The gloves aren’t officially on just yet, but talk of a catchweight bout around 147 pounds is already being floated by Devin Haney himself. Whether this evolves from heated rhetoric into ring action remains the question—and boxing fans everywhere are watching with anticipation.
Haney vs Lopez falls apart after failed catchweight talks
What was poised to be one of the year’s most intriguing matchups has officially unraveled. Devin Haney vs. Teofimo Lopez, a bout that had boxing fans buzzing and Riyadh ready for fireworks on August 16, is no longer happening. Negotiations for the catchweight clash at 145 pounds have broken down, and the blame game is already in full swing.
It was Haney who took to social media first, eager to clear the air after premature reports claimed the fight had been finalized. “The fight with Teo is not signed! I signed my part & Teo has been stalling. As of today he has decided he doesn’t wanna fight me — he is officially the biggest ,” Haney posted on X (formerly Twitter), punctuating the message with a mix of emojis and frustration. According to the undefeated welterweight, he had agreed to the proposed catchweight, despite originally pushing for a full 147-pound bout.
Haney doubled down, revealing more behind-the-scenes negotiation details: “I wanted the fight at 147, he wanted the fight at 140. We negotiated to meet at 145 even though he was willing to fight Boots at 147.” The jab about Lopez being open to face Jaron “Boots” Ennis at a higher weight underscores the tension between what’s said publicly and what plays out at the negotiation table.
This marks yet another missed opportunity between two of the sport’s most decorated young champions. Both Haney and Lopez had notched wins on the high-profile May 2 Times Square card—Haney with a decision over Jose Ramirez and Lopez with a clinical dismantling of Arnold Barboza Jr. There was every reason to believe their paths were converging at last. But after Lopez’s flurry of deleted tweets aimed at Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh and an eventual public apology, it seems the deal soured beyond repair. The history between these two—dating back to their lightweight title reigns—only adds to the sting of what could’ve been.
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