Devin Haney Left Watching as WBC Gives Mario Barrios Ultimate Recognition at Terence Crawford’s Expense

The WBC’s decisions are hard to make sense of. Remember how Jermall Charlo retained his WBC middleweight strap for 3 years without defending it? This time, the sanctioning body has moved swiftly, unlike itself, and has demoted Terence Crawford. The 147-pound division went through upheaval and now Marios Barrios reigns supreme instead of ‘Bud’. Interesting days ahead for 147? We are not sure. But there is one man, for whom the decision has come at a critical time: Devin Haney.

The WBC’s swift decision came as Crawford, 36, paid the price for his less activity at the top and now is a ‘champion in recess’. Why? The American boxer decided to close his career with glory in a division above against Israil Madrimov. And Barrios, 29, reaped the benefits of it as the WBC moved to elevate him to full champ.

Haney, 25, witnessed the drama unfold at 147 and left his reaction to Michael Benson‘s post, which detailed the WBC’s decision. The WBC super lightweight champion turned to his X handle and left an amusing reaction. He wrote, “Mauriciooooo.. [eyes emoji]”

How does it affect Haney? WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman‘s bold call has eased the way for ‘The Dream’ to move up and fight for a title. How? The WBC champion at 140 can leverage his title to make it mandatory for Barrios. It’s the same path Crawford opted for to chase a title shot at 154.

The 31-1 record holder has long teased a move up to 147 and fighting for the gold strap, as his frame can accommodate the move and the new weight. He has been draining himself for years to make weight in the lightweight division. So, it all works out for him in the end, with doors to the championship opening at a critical time. In addition, Haney can take a leaf out of Floyd Mayweather‘s book, win a title, and then relinquish it later to set up bigger fights. That makes sense, right? But that’s not it. It can be a move forced by the business side of things too.

Devin Haney’s purse bid: forcing his move up

After dropping a fight to fight to Ryan Garcia, Haney is gearing up to face his WBC mandatory, Sandor Martin. However, with both camps not coming to terms with revenue share, the WBC ordered a purse bid, and in an unlikely and shocking move, the Top Rank bagged the rights to host the fight. The number they put up to stage the fight? $2.42 million.

As per the rules, the San Francisco native will bag slightly over $1.5 million for the bout, whereas Martin would earn over $600,000. But if he can force his move up and face Barrios, he can definitely earn more than that. So, it all boils down to whether Haney wants the fight or not. Looking at his reaction, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that he is tempted.

What do you make of this development concerning Marios Barrios and its potential impact on 140? Do you believe Devin Haney should move up and challenge for the title? Let us know in the comments below.