In 2019, Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn signed a co-promotional deal with former undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney. Under that agreement, both sides teamed up for several fights, a partnership that carried them through to 2024 before they separated. Now that Hearn no longer works with ‘The Dream,’ his assessment of the fighter seems to have shifted noticeably. After Haney’s bout against Brian Norman Jr., Hearn had choice words for the fight.

For context, Haney entered the fight coming off a now-expunged loss to Ryan Garcia and a flat performance against Jose Ramirez. Against Norman Jr., however, he delivered a commanding display. After scoring a knockdown in the second round, Haney cruised to a unanimous decision win on Saturday night. Eddie Hearn, who watched the fight ringside in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, shared his candid take in a conversation with Boxing King Media—and he wasn’t impressed.

Eddie Hearn claims Devin Haney is still a boring fighter

Hearn had already criticized Devin Haney during DAZN’s broadcast of the fight, and he doubled down on his claims. “He’s not good to watch. He doesn’t want to engage,” Hearn said, claiming the Haneys weren’t pleased with his blunt assessment. Still, Hearn stood firm. “I just said the truth… His eyes [were] wide open the whole fight.” When asked how Conor Benn—who is signed with Matchroom Boxing—would fare against someone like Haney, Hearn attacked Haney again.

“Look, he’s not easy to beat because he doesn’t want to fight. And that’s smart… It’s not like you wouldn’t put your guys in with him because you can’t beat him. He’s difficult to beat because he doesn’t want to engage,” Hearn added. He argued that after Haney dropped Brian Norman Jr., he could have pressed forward for a stoppage but chose not to. “After he dropped Brian Norman, all he had to do was step on him—he would have stopped him. It would have been a great performance.”

When asked if Benn is targeting anyone besides Haney, Hearn revealed they have their eyes on the newly announced Ryan Garcia vs. Mario Barrios bout for the WBC welterweight title. Benn, of course, defeated Chris Eubank Jr. in his rematch recently and has since claimed he would drop back down to welterweight to face the likes of Ryan Garcia, Mario Barrios, Rolando Romero, and Devin Haney. Regardless, soon after, the interview spread across social media and drew the ire of boxing insider Rick Glaser, who quickly labeled Hearn a hypocrite.

“[Eddie Hearn], you’re the biggest hypocrite in Boxing. When you promoted Haney, he was the greatest. Now you want to keep your latest pet, Conor Benn, way away from Haney, so now you say Haney’s horrible to watch! You’re a f—ken Hypocrite, Ego Eddie, stop with your Bobaluba,” Glaser wrote on X. Despite Benn’s desire to face the Garcia–Barrios winner, it appears far more likely that Devin Haney will get the shot—especially if Ryan Garcia comes out on top. 

With their shared history and unresolved rivalry, a Garcia–Haney matchup would practically sell itself. And while Hearn’s comments drew plenty of attention, he certainly isn’t the only one who found Haney’s performance underwhelming on Saturday night. Who else? Conor Benn, of course. And this seems to have irked the Haney corner, who dismissed a potential fight against the Brit. 

‘The Dream’ Haney claims Conor Benn is Eddie Hearn’s puppet

Devin Haney didn’t hold back after his win over Brian Norman Jr., firing sharp shots at Conor Benn following the Brit’s criticism of his performance. Benn had mocked Haney during the event, even pretending to fall asleep on Eddie Hearn’s shoulder. But Haney made it clear he sees Benn as nowhere near his level. “Conor Benn is nothing compared to me, he’s never accomplished anything,” Haney said at the post-fight press conference. 

He dismissed Benn’s victory over Chris Eubank Jr., adding, “His biggest win is fighting a weight-drained Chris Eubank [Jr]. He’s never been a world champion… He got lucky with the opportunity [against Eubank] because he’s Eddie Hearn’s puppet.” Haney’s father and trainer, Bill Haney, backed him up, questioning Benn’s resume. “When is he going to do something in boxing that’s on Devin Haney’s level?” For now, ‘The Dream’ believes Benn simply hasn’t earned the right to call him out.

Having said that, it appears Eddie Hearn and Conor Benn’s strategy to call Devin Haney boring has backfired massively. With Haney dismissing a fight against Benn, he would likely end up fighting Ryan Garcia next, if Garcia manages to beat Mario Barrios. But do you agree with Hearn? Is Haney still a boring fighter?