WBO Gives Haney Keyshawn Davis Ultimatum

The WBO has run out of patience with Devin Haney.

The sanctioning body’s president Gustavo Olivieri has given Haney and mandatory challenger Keyshawn Davis 20 days to reach a negotiated agreement before the fight goes to purse bids — a process that would see Haney take 75 percent of the purse as the defending champion. of more commercially attractive options.

The alternatives have dried up one by one. A unification with Rolly Romero never materialised. The catchweight fight with Shakur Stevenson stalled over terms neither side would bend on. Gervonta Davis' legal situation removed another possibility. With each door closing, the Keyshawn Davis mandatory has moved closer to inevitable.

Davis's path to the mandatory position is not without its complications. The Olympic silver medalist won the WBA lightweight title by thrashing Denys Berinchyk in February 2025, only to lose it on the scales ahead of a planned defence against Edwin De Los Santos. Two appearances at 140 followed — dominant wins over Jamaine Ortiz and Nahir Albright — before weight management issues led him to jump up to 147 rather than address the underlying problem. He barely made weight against Albright on his second attempt.

Haney at 33-0 has not fought since outclassing Brian Norman Jr. to become a three-division champion last November. Eight months of inactivity and a queue of negotiations that have gone nowhere have brought him to this moment — twenty days to agree terms or lose control of the process entirely.