It appears that trainer Bill Haney will not be ringside when his son, Devin Haney, fights for the undisputed lightweight title in Australia next month. According to multiple outlets, the elder Haney was denied entry to the country because he was convicted of a felony in 1992. As explained by boxing insider Jake Donovan, individuals “who have served 12 months or more in prison are ineligible to qualify for an ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) or eVisitor visa required for short-term visits.”
“I’m still at home in Vegas. I wasn’t able to board the flight to go over [to Australia],” Bill Haney told Trill Boxing Talk.
“They said my visa hasn’t been approved. It hasn’t been denied. At this point in time, I wasn’t able to go through customs.”
Bill Haney says that he has been transparent about his past while sorting through visa issues with the Australian government. By gaining support from Bob Arum and Top Rank, he had hoped that he would able to enter the country for the two-week period leading up to the fight.
“I was open and honest to our partners at Top Rank. Lou DiBella with DiBella Entertainment (Kambosos’s promoter) knew about this as well. We were hoping to get the support from the Australian government pertaining to it. Hopefully that will happen in the next day or two, a couple of weeks before the fight that I will be able to go,” Bill Haney added while appearing on Trill Boxing Talk.
Making matters worse, Devin Haney’s assistant trainer, Ben Davison, has also ran into issues while attempting to obtain a visa. As a result, Yoel Judah will work as Haney’s trainer heading into his upcoming bout. Judah is best known as the father and head trainer of former champion Zab Judah. After learning of the situation, Zab Judah posted a photo of Devin Haney on Twitter with the caption, “We will be undisputed.”
Devin Haney is still scheduled to fight George Kambosos for the undisputed lightweight title on June 4, 2022 on ESPN.
