Reports indicate Benn’s April 11 fight with Regis Prograis on the Netflix card is funded through Turki Alalshikh’s Sela backing rather than routine promotional operating budgets. TKO president Mark Shapiro reinforced that distinction on a financial call, stating the purse is “Saudi money, not TKO money.” That clarification places Benn’s payday inside event-specific financing rather than company baseline economics.
Haney understands the comparison because he defeated Prograis decisively in December 2023 to win the WBC junior welterweight title. If Prograis now appears opposite Benn in an eight-figure showcase, Haney can argue that the hierarchy supports a higher valuation for the man who already won that matchup.
The complication is sustainability. Saudi-backed events operate through selective, state-supported funding that traditional American and British promoters do not mirror. Haney competes primarily in the U.S. market, where pay-per-view sales and ticket revenue still determine how high purses can realistically climb. If he plants his price at Saudi levels, some promoters may simply walk away rather than stretch their budgets to match it.
Volatility adds another variable. Frank Warren’s Queensberry has reportedly filed legal action against TKO and Sela related to the formation of Zuffa Boxing, creating uncertainty around the same platform generating these headline figures. Legal disputes do not automatically stop business, but they make deals harder to close in a market still adjusting to new money.
Haney occupies a commercial middle ground. Garcia has demonstrated major pay-per-view pull, while Stevenson’s reputation rests more heavily on skill recognition than large-event revenue. By elevating the Benn figure publicly, Haney compresses that perceived commercial separation and forces the market to re-evaluate value tiers in real time.
Whether the broader U.S. marketplace can sustain Saudi-level guarantees remains unresolved. What is clear is that Haney has set his price in public, and the next promoter who calls will have to answer it.
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