Devin Haney next fight: Gervonta Davis mega fight hit by mandatory roadblock
Associated PressDevin Haney may have lost to Ryan Garcia last time out but the controversial circumstances which surrounded the bout have ensured he retained his WBC super-lightweight world title.
Haney was knocked down three times as he fell to a majority decision loss to long-time rival, Garcia, who he had previously shared the ring with six times as an amateur.
But Garcia weighed in over the 140 pounds limit for the fight so could not win Haney’s world title. And his win could even be scratched off the record books after he tested positive for the performance enhancing drug, ostarine.
Garcia will have to wait for the results of a hearing from the New York Boxing commission to discover his fate but whether Haney’s first defeat on his record is overturned or not, the American must banish the demons of the Garcia fight with an excellent comeback performance.
Obviously, an immediate rematch with Garcia is off the table, but Haney remains one of the biggest draws among fighters in the super-lightweight and lightweight divisions and the two-weight world champion is not short of options for his next fight.
As such, Dexerto Sport have taken a look at some of the lucrative options that will be on the table for ‘The Dream’.
WBC mandatory challenger
Haney has some huge fights he could make around his weight division but the elephant in the room is that the WBC have ordered him to defend his world title against Spanish fighter Sandro Martin.
Martin is no slouch, either, having beaten former four-weight world champion Mikey Garcia, as well as losing to two-weight world champion Teofimo Lopez via a controversial split decision.
The 30-year-old has won twice since that loss to Lopez and he would represent a legitimate threat to Haney’s WBC world title.
Super-lightweight unification options
Haney could also pursue a unification fight with any of the three other super-lightweight world champions, should he manage to negotiate with Martin to step aside.
All three world champions have upcoming fights but that does not mean Haney could not hold on to fight one of them in his next bout.
IBF champion Subriel Matias shares a promoter with Haney and should he win past Liam Paro on June 15 that, theoretically, shouldn’t be a difficult fight to make.
WBA champion Isaac Cruz is slated to defend his belt against Jose Valenzuela on August 3 and scheduling issues, as well as the fact he is promoted by Premier Boxing Champions, would pose potential problems in that fight being made next.
The most lucrative super-lightweight unification fight would be with fellow two-weight world champion Teofimo Lopez, who defends his WBO belt on June 29 against Steve Claggett.
Both fighters would make a lot of money and it would be a fight that would define both men’s legacies. Concessions would have to be made on broadcasters and who promotes the bill.
But Haney, who is promoted by Matchroom Boxing, has worked with Top Rank (Lopez’s promoters) in the past in fights against Vasiliy Lomachenko and George Kambosos Jr, so there is precedent there to suggest he would do so again.
Gervonta Davis mega fight among lightweight options
There are three lightweight world champions that are huge names, too, and all three would provide Haney a money-spinning fight, should they choose to step up to the super-lightweight division.
IBF champion Vasiliy Lomachenko lost to Haney via a controversial unanimous decision when they clashed for the undisputed lightweight world titles in May 2023, so the narrative would write itself for a rematch.
WBC champion Shakur Stevenson is already a three-weight world champion and has made no secret of his desire to step up to a fourth weight class in the future.
Meanwhile, Gervonta Davis is seen as the best pound for pound fighter across both divisions and the WBA lightweight world champion has been supportive of Garcia in the aftermath of his fight with Haney.
Davis and Haney had an altercation with each other in Las Vegas in May and Garcia infamously leaked sparring footage of Davis getting the better of Haney.
One stumbling block is that Davis is arguably the crowning jewel of fighters promoted by Premier Boxing Champions and compromises would have to be made between broadcasters and promoters.
Nonetheless, should Davis win past Frank Martin on June 15, expect both fighters to call each other out for a mega fight.
Matchroom challengers
Should Haney remain under Matchroom Boxing’s promotional banner, they boast three fighters at super-lightweight who are ready to fight for world title honors.
Jack Catterall lost a controversial split decision to Josh Taylor to become the undisputed super-lightweight champion back in 2022. He has since avenged that loss and is keen on a world title shot.
As mentioned earlier, Australian boxer Liam Paro is challenging Subriel Matias. Whoever loses that fight would be keen to get straight back in at world level.
Meanwhile, Richardson Hitchins is the mandatory challenger for the IBF belt and he will also be keen to fight for a world title next.
It is unlikely they would take precedence over Haney’s mandatory title fight, a unification fight or a mega fight with one of the three lightweight world champions, but all three fighters will be on Haney’s radar, particularly while they share the same promoter.
For all the biggest results and upcoming fights this year, check out Dexerto’s 2024 boxing schedule.