Top Rank wins Haney vs Martin purse bid
Top Rank submitted the lone bid of $2.42 million
It looks as though Top Rank's signing of Sandor Martin wasn't a stunt, as Bob Arum and co. claimed ownership of his ordered title fight against Devin Haney with a $2.42 million offer at today's purse bid.
Matchroom did not submit an offer. Per WBC regulations, Haney (31-1, 15 KO) will be the beneficiary of a 70/30 split.
Haney's stock is at an all-time low after last April's majority decision loss to Ryan Garcia, and though he retained his title by virtue of Garcia missing wright, his unpleasant style meant that his apparent greatness was his lone selling point.
Not that people would be losing their minds about a fight with Martin (42-3, 15 KO) even if he had won. The Spaniard follows in the tradition of spoilers like Miguel Vazquez, never pleasing the audience or standing out on his own merits but consistently making skilled opponents look awful.
We'll see if Haney goes through with it. He's got easy access to an IBF title shot by virtue of his Matchroom connection so it's not like he's out of the picture if he ditches the WBC belt. If that's the case, Martin would hypothetically face newly crowned interim champion Alberto Puello, though whether they’d fight for the vacant belt or Puello would be upgraded beforehand is anyone’s guess.