Bill Haney: Stevenson Comes to 147 Or the Fight Does Not Happen

Bill Haney has drawn a line in the sand over a potential matchup between Devin Haney and Shakur Stevenson — his son fights at welterweight and nowhere else, and any suggestion of Devin dropping back down to accommodate the WBO lightweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">super lightweight champion has been firmly rejected.

Speaking on Million Dollaz Worth of Game, Bill was direct about the terms. "The way that fight could be made, you got 147, you got 135. Now, what we're willing to do, what is that 11 pound difference? Shakur can take eight of them pounds and go up to 144. We wouldn't even ask him to meet us halfway."

The 144-pound offer represents the only movement the Haney camp is willing to make — and even that comes with a significant caveat. "If it's at a catchweight 144, then it wouldn't be for the belt, nor to me would it represent what truly a five-division champ and Shakur would make him."

The point Bill keeps returning to is historical significance. A welterweight title fight between the two unbeaten champions would carry genuine legacy weight for both men — a win for Stevenson would make him a five-division champion in a way a catchweight result simply cannot replicate. Stripping the belt from the equation, in Bill's view, strips the achievement of its meaning.

On the subject of Devin going anywhere near 140 or 135, the answer was unambiguous. "We're not going down no more pounds." And on where his son stands in the welterweight landscape: "Devin is the baddest motor scooter at 147 pounds. He's the welterweight champion of the world, the king of the welterweight division, the money division, the glamour division."

Stevenson has options elsewhere — Tank Davis and Lomachenko have both been mentioned as potential targets — but the Haney fight remains one of the most compelling matchups the sport has available. Bill has made the terms plain enough. Whether Stevenson's team decides welterweight is worth the risk is the only remaining question.