Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on DAZN.com.
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Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn is beginning to put the pieces together for future fights as boxing heads toward operating during the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of the first fights Hearn is aiming to put together on American soil is a lightweight showdown between titleholder Devin Haney and Luke Campbell.
Hearn revealed his intentions in an interview with BoxingScene.com.
“Ideally I want to make Devin Haney against Ryan Garcia,” Hearn said. “I think that is a monstrous fight. But that might take a bit longer to be made, so if we can make Haney against Luke Campbell, that is a great fight.”
Haney and Garcia have been on a collision course for several years as two of the brightest young talents in the sport. Haney stepped into the ring to challenge his rival after Garcia’s first-round knockout of Francisco Fonseca back in February.
Although both fighters seem to be keen on a potential showdown, there doesn’t seem to be a rush to pair the two at the moment. Instead, Hearn aims to give Campbell an opportunity to hand Haney his first loss as a professional.
Campbell (20-3, 16 KOs) is coming off of a unanimous decision loss to lightweight titleholder Vasiliy Lomachenko last August. Campbell was set to face Javier Fortuna for the vacant WBC title in April after Haney was declared champion in recess while sidelined with an injury. But that fight was scrapped when the coronavirus pandemic struck the sporting world.
With Haney now having ample time to heal, he has been reinstated as champion and could make a defense of his title later this summer.
“It’s a bit of a mess, really,” Hearn said. “Luke has been ordered to fight Javier Fortuna for the world title, now the interim world title, but because of the delay, Devin Haney is back and ready to go.
“I’d rather they fight each other. Luke seems up for it, Devin Haney seems up for it, and that is a fight I will try and make for August or September.”