American former undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney will no longer hold the world champion title at 135 lbs, as he informed ESPN that he intends to vacate his remaining titles. Having recently relinquished his WBC lightweight title, Haney now appears content to vacate the rest of his belts, aiming to continue his career at 140 lbs and above, striving to make history once again.
The 25-year-old Devin Haney (30-0, 15 KO’s) is currently slated to fight at super lightweight against WBC champion Regis Prograis (29-1, 24 KO’s) on December 9th. This marks a significant step in his career, transitioning from the lightweight division, where he has spent the majority of his career, with the ultimate goal of becoming undisputed being achieved in 2022. His last bout resulted in a controversial victory over the future Hall of Famer, Ukrainian Vasyl Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KO’s).
During his interview with ESPN, Haney confirmed and clarified his decision, stating, “I did everything at 135 that I could. The biggest fight for me was making that Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KO’s) bout, and his side showed no interest in making the fight.“
“I’ve outgrown the division, so now I embark on my quest to 140 to become a two-division champion. After this fight, I aim to become a three-division champion and move up to 147, God willing that I’m successful in this fight.“
While Haney has expressed his desire to move up to welterweight after his clash with Prograis, for now, he must focus on overcoming the hard-hitting WBC super lightweight champion, who boasts only a single loss on his record.
Presumably, Haney’s decision to relinquish his titles will allow WBA ‘regular’ lightweight champion Gervonta Davis to be promoted to full world champion.
Regarding the WBO and IBF titles that Haney is set to relinquish, it is likely that the highest-rated contenders will face each other for the vacant titles. Thus, the rumored matchup between George Kambosos Jr. (21-2, 10 KO’s) and Vasyl Lomachenko may involve one of these titles, depending on when Haney’s decision is officially announced.
As of now, Haney still holds the WBA, WBO, and IBF titles, but given his recent revelation, it is likely that this situation will change after his bout with Prograis.
While Haney is also recognized as the WBC champion-in-recess at 135 lbs, this status will likely be revoked in the near future, preventing a potential matchup between him and the recently-crowned WBC lightweight champion, Shakur Stevenson (21-0, 10 KO’s).
