Devin Haney ordered to face Keyshawn Davis by WBO

WBO welterweight champion Devin Haney has been ordered to face Keyshawn Davis in a mandatory title defense after failing to secure unification bouts with other champions.

WBO president Gustavo Olivieri gave the camps 20 days to reach terms or face a purse bid with a 75-25 split favoring Haney, Bad Left Hook reports. The directive comes after Haney's attempts to line up fights with Rolly Romero or lightweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">super lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson fell through.

Davis jumps to welterweight without a single win at 147

Davis holds a 15-0 record with 10 knockouts but has yet to compete at welterweight. The Olympic silver medalist won the lightweight title with a dominant win over Denys Berinchyk in February 2025, then vacated after missing weight before a scheduled defense. He moved to 140 for two wins over Jamaine Ortiz and Nahir Albright, but struggled to make weight in the latter and opted to jump to 147 rather than manage his size.

The WBO's decision to install Davis as mandatory challenger without a welterweight appearance drew questions in social media comments on the sanctioning body's announcement, with former number-one contender Jack Catterall among those weighing in. Davis joins a rankings list that includes Manny Pacquiao at number two despite no wins since 2019.

Haney has not fought since November, when he stopped Brian Norman Jr to claim the WBO strap and become a three-division champion. The matchup is expected to move forward with negotiations beginning immediately.

Reported via:

• Bad Left Hook — WBO orders Devin Haney to face Keyshawn Davis