After the Devin Haney vs. Jose Ramirez fight on May 2nd, ‘The Dream’ was facing some issues pinning an opponent for his next fight. At first, a potential bout against Teofimo Lopez was being eyed, but it quickly fell apart after ‘The Takeover’ backed out of the contract, citing personal reasons. However, the Haneys were not about to give up!

Recently, GEA Chairman Turki Alalshikh announced that the former WBC super lightweight champion will square off against WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. for the latter’s 147-pound strap. Although a specific date was not mentioned, a November date for the welterweight bout in Saudi Arabia has been touted. Fast forward to today, Norman Jr.’s promoter, Bob Arum, took a ‘not-so-subtle’ dig at Haney, which ended badly for the 93-year-old. 

“We look forward to working with our friend, His Excellency [Turki Alalshikh],” Arum wrote on X. “As the best welterweight in the world, Brian Norman Jr., defends his WBO title this November in Riyadh against track star Devin Haney.” Notably, Haney came under fire after his performance against Ramirez, where Haney was accused of excessive lateral movement, in other words, running.

As you might have guessed, this didn’t sit well with Devin Haney, who quickly answered with a retort. “Shouldn’t this guy be worried about the fact [that] he blew 90 million from ESPN and now has no TV deal?” Haney wrote back. If this wasn’t enough, Bill Haney also joined the conversation to pile more insults on the veteran promoter. 

“Lol… Bob’s senile, running his mouth and forgot he’s no longer in charge,” Bill Haney wrote. “Devin Haney ran to give Brian Norman the biggest fight of his career, while ESPN ran away from doing business with Top Rank. Is ESPN the real track stars running from Bob and his smoke and mirrors?” This is, of course, in reference to Top Rank’s broadcasting partnership with ESPN.

Top Rank yet to secure replacement for ESPN

The broadcast agreement between Top Rank and ESPN, which began back in 2017, saw ESPN pay the promotion $90 million per year for the rights to broadcast around 54 live boxing events annually across ESPN, ESPN+, and pay-per-view platforms. Their agreement is set to expire in August 2025, marking the end of an eight-year partnership.

Though the partnership helped Top Rank reach millions, with several mega events, ESPN decided to end the partnership to prioritize UFC content, as boxing viewership on ESPN has declined over the years. It’s also worth noting that the final Top Rank card on ESPN is tentatively scheduled for July 26, 2025, though the fights and location remain unconfirmed.

Additionally, ESPN’s deal with the UFC will come to an end by late 2025. Although the window for renewal for negotiation has expired, ESPN remains in the mix with the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Regardless, Top Rank has been looking for a new broadcasting partner, with DAZN mentioned in the conversation, but they haven’t confirmed anything yet. 

With that said, it appears Bob Arum’s cheeky dig at Devin Haney majorly backfired, as Devin and his father fired back with their own jabs at the veteran promoter. While this may create more hype for the Haney-Norman Jr. fight, the question is, what does the future hold for Top Rank?