WBC orders Haney to face Martin

Sandor Martin is Devin Haney’s mandatory challenger, but previously stepped aside to allow the Ryan Garcia fight

After stepping aside to allow WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney to face Ryan Garcia, mandatory challenger Sandor Martin is back at the front of the queue. Mundo Deportivo and Julius Julianis each report that the pair are officially on the clock to negotiate a title defense and avoid a purse bid.

Haney (31-1, 15 KO) is, of course, coming off an embarrassing loss to Ryan Garcia, but kept his title by virtue of Garcia missing weight by three pounds. How now faces a less imposing but still potentially hazardous matchup against fellow technician Martin (42-3, 15 KO). The Spaniard emerged from his European cocoon and entered the public consciousness by retiring Mikey Garcia in 2021, then got shafted in a WBO eliminator against Teofimo Lopez two fights later.

It’s not clear to me how his subsequent squash matches in Italy earned him a spot atop the WBC rankings, but there’s some justice at play here, so I’ll allow it.

To be frank, there’s a very good chance this winds up an absolutely wretched fight. Haney is Haney and Martin is tricky, with all the positive and negative connotations that implies. That said, it could be interesting to observe even if it’s awful to watch. Haney didn’t just lose to an ill-prepared dingus who took more shots at the bar than in the gym; he seemed completely flummoxed by basic charges and a back-turned defensive posture best described as “MOM, HE’S HITTING ME, MAKE HIM STOP.”

Not a great look for a supposed technical mastermind.