Full credit to Devin Haney. Despite the backlash, criticism, jokes, and memes, the former undisputed champion stayed the course and has now reached a new milestone in his stellar career. Earlier tonight at Riyadh’s ANB Arena, Haney achieved a rare distinction by becoming a world champion in a third weight class, a feat very few fighters have ever accomplished. At Ring IV: Night of the Champions, he dethroned welterweight titleholder Brian Norman Jr. in convincing fashion.

However, even now that Devin Haney has managed to turn many opinions around, some still question the new 147-pound champion. Among them is Conor Benn. A longtime world-title hopeful, the son of legend Nigel Benn recently avenged his first professional loss to Chris Eubank Jr. in their rematch. According to Benn, the American champion’s win lacked spark.

Conor Benn isn’t buying the Devin Haney hype

Ben was speaking with a bunch of reporters at the arena. Sharing his thoughts on Haney’s performance, he said, “It wasn’t really a great performance in my opinion.” According to Nigel Benn’s son, the three-division champion seemed wary of taking risks.

“(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,” Conor Benn added.

Taking another swipe, he suggested that Haney has a knack for putting people to sleep, though not necessarily inside the ring. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, echoed the sentiment, saying, “He (Haney) doesn’t want to engage at any moment during the fight.”

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Needless to say, Benn’s comments drew immediate backlash.

Yet a showdown with Haney remains in play

Perhaps his renewed confidence stems largely from his showing against Eubank Jr. Moreover, both of their bouts were catchweight affairs. The combination of those factors seems to have given Conor Benn a much-needed morale boost after his reputation took a hit during the doping controversy.

Ironically, Benn himself faced criticism for taking on unheralded opponents like Rodolfo Orozco and Peter Dobson.

Intriguingly, despite criticizing Haney, Benn seems interested in fighting the new champion. While he hopes to face the winner of the upcoming welterweight title clash between champion Mario Barrios and Ryan Garcia, Benn isn’t shy about exploring alternatives, including Rolly Romero and Haney.

“Ryan Garcia-Barrios (winner) Cinco de Mayo in Vegas… 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,” Conor Benn reportedly said.

Then again, Benn and Haney have a colorful back-and-forth history. So it didn’t take much time before Devin Haney caught wind of Benn’s swipes.

After the fight, Seconds Out‘s Radio Rahim spoke with the new 147-pound champion. When asked about Conor Benn and Eddie Hearn’s comments, Haney brushed off the callouts immediately, saying, “Eddie Hearn, knock it off… (Conor Benn), knock it off...”

What do you make of Conor Benn’s jabs at Devin Haney? Is he just testing the waters, or is there more to it than meets the eye?