Devin Haney eyes marquee fight in loaded lightweight division

Yes, former three-weight world champion Jorge Linares rocked WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney in the 10th round of their title fight Saturday at Michelob Ultra Arena.

But the victorious Haney doesn’t think Linares’ hard left hook marred his performance.

“This is boxing. If you go in there and you think you’re not going to get hit with any punches through a 12-round fight, it’s unbelievable,” said the 22-year-old Las Vegan, who won by unanimous decision. “He hit me with a good shot. I showed grit.

“I showed that I’m a true champion.”

With Linares behind him, Haney (26-0, 15 knockouts) is shifting his focus toward securing a fight with one of the other young stars in the lightweight division. Namely WBA, IBF and WBO champion Teofimo Lopez. Haney’s promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, said he will seek to make a fight with Lopez.

Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia are other top options.

All four fighters are 26 or younger and boast undefeated records, meaning any matchup would be what Hearn termed a “megafight.” Haney said he would consider moving up to the 140-pound division should one of those fights not materialize, but the plan and priority is to remain a lightweight.

The four fighters are signed to different promoters and therefore fight on different networks. Haney is with Hearn, whose cards air on DAZN. Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) also fights on DAZN with Golden Boy Promotions. Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs) is under the Top Rank banner and typically fights on ESPN. And Davis (24-0, 23 KOs) is with Mayweather Promotions and Showtime pay-per-view.

The politics between promoters and networks often prevent marquee fights from being finalized, but Hearn said he would be flexible in working with other promotions to ensure that Haney could fight a top foe and maximize his earning potential.

“If you have to make a move to fight on another platform to become that megastar because you can’t get that fight otherwise, then that’s what we’ll have to look at,” Hearn said. “There are no network problems, and that’s generally an excuse as to why fights don’t get made. There are no excuses.”

Haney affirmed that he wants to fight Lopez next. Lopez fights George Kambosos Jr. on June 19 in Miami.

“I want to make the biggest fight happen. This is the first of many. Let’s do it next,” Haney said. “I want to fight the best fighters in the world. I’m not ducking or dodging nobody. … Whoever is next, I’ll be ready.”

Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.