Haney to Meet Paro in a Welterweight Unification Bout on December 19

Devin Haney has an opponent for his next fight. The Ring reported, citing sources, that Haney will meet IBF welterweight champion Liam Paro in a WBO and IBF title unification bout on December 19 at the Chase Center in San Francisco. The report came from the magazine's Mike Coppinger.

Haney last fought in November 2025. He knocked Brian Norman Jr down and won a unanimous decision to take the WBO welterweight title. He has not capitalized on that win yet, and it is now approaching 12 months since he last stepped into the ring.

How the Stevenson talks ended

A return against Shakur Stevenson looked possible after the two sides negotiated in recent weeks. That ended when Stevenson parted ways with Zuffa Boxing and announced he would campaign at 135 and 140 pounds for the foreseeable future. Haney, for his part, has since signed an exclusive deal with DAZN, and the bout with Paro is the first one reported under it.

The champion across the ring

Paro won the IBF belt in June, beating Lewis Crocker by unanimous decision in Australia. The win made him a two-weight world champion, since he had earlier held a world title at 140 pounds.

The winner of Haney vs. Paro would hold two of the welterweight belts. From there, an undisputed fight could follow against the winner of the rumored bout between WBC champion Ryan Garcia and WBA champion Teofimo Lopez.

That plan has an obstacle. The WBA title may not be on the line in the Garcia-Lopez fight because of the situation involving mandatory challenger Jack Catterall.

Source: Boxing News