25-year-old boxing prodigy Devin Haney recently surprised the sports world by stepping away from his champion status.
Only a few months after beating Vasiliy Lomachenko in Las Vegas, he disclosed to ESPN’s Mike Coppinger on Wednesday night that he has given up all four of his titles. Despite maintaining an impeccable unbeaten record, Haney boldly chose to chart a new course.
Haney also issued a statement outlining his motivation for choosing to step down as lightweight champ.
He said: “I did everything at 135 that I could. The biggest fight for me was making that Gervonta Davis fight, and his side showed no interest in making the fight. I’ve outgrown the division, so now I make my quest to 140 to become a two-division champion.”
With Haney vacating his title and his match with Regis Prograis set for a week from Saturday, the boxing organizations (WBO, WBC, and IBF) are making the required changes.
Shakur Stevenson (who most recently beat Edwin De Los Santos) is now the WBC lightweight champion. Now that the possible matchup is off the table, Gervonta Davis will be crowned the indisputable champion as he is perhaps the finest boxer at 147.
According to Coppinger, the would-be contenders for Haney will face off in the IBF. Thus, the bout scheduled for the first half of 2024 between George Kambosas and Lomachenko will decide who is the finest in the world.
Haney said that he hopes to ultimately compete for the title of best at 147 as well.
Ever ambitious, Haney envisions extending his dominance across weight classes. Expressing his aspirations, he stated, “And after this fight, I look to become a three-division champion and move up to 147, God willing that I’m successful in this fight.”
Haney reassured everyone that this was the right choice for his future by reminding them of what he wished to leave as his legacy.
He stated: “I made history in becoming undisputed, and that was a milestone for me. But now I’m at the point in my career where I want to make the biggest and the best fights happening in the world. I’m a pay-per-view fighter.”
His match against Prograis will start at 8 p.m. ET on DAZN PPV, live from San Francisco.