Tim Bradley Thinks Haney’s Skills Scare Fighters, But Is It Really About Money?

“You would think that a guy with tremendous punching power, right, you would think that everybody would try to duck that smoke like a Mike Tyson or something like that, but damn, you got people ducking Deebo Dev, who’s not the biggest puncher,” Bradley said on his YouTube channel.

“I guess his boxing skills is what spooks everybody about Debo Dev.”

That interpretation gives Haney plenty of credit, but it leaves out an important part of boxing negotiations. Fighters who get an opportunity against a popular champion often expect compensation to match the occasion.

Keyshawn was rumored to have wanted approximately $5 million to face Haney. The WBO purse bid produced a considerably smaller payday. Top Rank won with an $8.55 million bid, which would have given Davis 25 percent, approximately $2.14 million.

If Davis went into the process expecting $5 million, receiving less than half that amount likely made the fight far less attractive.

Paro may have looked at his opportunity in similar terms. If his financial demands killed negotiations, that doesn’t necessarily mean he feared Haney’s jab, movement or defensive style. He may simply have placed a higher price on accepting the fight than Haney’s side was prepared to pay.

There is a major difference between refusing to fight someone and refusing to fight him for a particular purse.

Bradley sees fighters running from Haney’s skills. The failed negotiations may have less to do with fear than fighters expecting a major payday when their name is called for a fight with one of boxing’s bigger stars.