Shortly after word spread that Devin Haney and Teófimo Lopez had signed for an August 16 catch-weight clash in Riyadh, the deal has collapsed. Sources on both sides confirm negotiations stalled over purse demands, with Saudi power-broker Turki Alalshikh unwilling to bankroll what one insider called “gold-rush numbers.” Bill Haney also briefly acknowledged the collapse on social media before deleting his post.
The implosion leaves two self-proclaimed “Four Horsemen” suddenly horseless. Haney, who has migrated to welterweight in search of marquee paydays, finds a 147-pound landscape short on bankable names; Jaron Ennis holds the belts and the leverage, but not the revenue. Lopez, meanwhile, still wears the WBO strap at 140 yet drew tepid reviews for clowning through a May 2 decision over Arnold Barboza Jr. Neither man can afford another year of inactivity, but both have reputations for hard bargaining that now threatens to boomerang.
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Finger-pointing began the moment ESPN’s Mike Coppinger tweeted that “negotiations have collapsed.” Veteran observers note Lopez’s history of brinkmanship - most memorably with George Kambosos and, later, with Top Rank - while Team Haney insists they merely asked for parity. Whatever the truth, Saudi patience proved finite, and the $60-million site fee once rumored has been yanked off the table.
Unless the fighters circle back quickly, Haney may be forced into a mandatory grind at 147 while Lopez revisits long-shot talks with Ryan Garcia or Gary Antuanne Russell.