Devin Haney Claims He Was Fined $400K
Undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney (30-0, 15 KOs) has claimed on Twitter that the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) fined him $400,000 for his shove of Vasiliy Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs) during the ceremonial weigh-in. On May 19, Haney and Lomachenko weighed in for their title fight that took place the following day, a close bout that saw Haney win by unanimous decision.
Later last Friday, the two attended a ceremonial weigh-in. When the time came to faceoff for the fans and the cameras, Haney would push Lomachenko, an act that did not please the NSAC. Now, a few days after their fight, Haney posted this tweet:
The NSAC eventually filed a complaint against Haney. From the above tweet, it appears that they also heavily fined him. Haney’s purse has been estimated to be $4 million.
Has the NSAC done this before?
In the past, the NSAC has punished fighters for various offenses. In 2018, boxers Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Kenichi Ogawa received six-month bans for failing drug tests. Jessica Rakoczy, who has competed in boxing and MMA, received a one-month ban and $833 fine for taking medication for back pain prior to an MMA fight in 2010. MMA fighter Pedro Munhoz received a $2500 for jumping the cage in 2019.
There does appear to be a precedent for fining fighters due to pre-fight antics, though not necessarily at weigh-ins. Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier received fines for brawling in the hotel lobby in 2014.
In the end, Haney got his hand raised in a narrow, controversial, unanimous decision victory to retain his WBC/WBA/IBF/WBO belts.
It appears that the NSAC is looking to take stronger action against weigh-in antics. By fining Haney, they seem to be setting an example, even if it is to the displeasure of many.
