Chaos in lightweight boxing! Undisputed champ Devin Haney’s SHOCKING decision puts boxing world in frenzy

Undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney has relinquished his belts before his upcoming fight. The shocking move came due to career aspirations.  

Chaos in lightweight boxing! Undisputed champ Devin Haney’s SHOCKING decision puts boxing world in frenzy

Devin Haney (image credit- Marca)

Devin Haney will vacate all his super lightweight championship belts as he prepares for his junior welterweight championship fight. Haney earned the WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO belts at 135 pounds in June 2022. Furthermore, Haney defended it twice against George Kambosos Jr. and Vasiliy Lomachenko. Haney will now challenge Regis Prograis to become the WBC junior welterweight champion.

Devin Haney revealed to ESPN the reasoning behind his decision to relinquish all his belts. Furthermore, Haney stated that he was ‘done’ with the lightweight division and was prepared to move on. In the interview with Mike Coppinger, Haney stated:

 I did everything at 135 that I could… I've outgrown the division, so now I make my quest to 140 to become a two-division champion.
Devin Haney via ESPN
YouTube video

Haney further stated that the only fight that interested him was his bout with Gervonta Davis. However, the Baltimore native did not appear interested in fighting against Haney for now, so Haney changed his target.

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If Haney is victorious over Prograis, he desired to progress further in the sport to solidify his legacy. Furthermore, Haney informed Coppinger that he aspired to become a three-weight champion in the future. However, Haney has fought once at 140 pounds and has expressed his desire to fight Davis in that division.

Fans react to Devin Haney relinquishing his lightweight belts 

Haney’s latest win maintained his undefeated record, but it was a controversial decision over the former champion, Vasiliy Lomachenko. Haney also made waves in MMA circles after firing shots on social media against the UFC’s bantamweight champ, Sean O’Malley.

Devin Haney
Devin Haney (Source: IMAGO)

Their crossover fight is not likely to happen, according to O’Malley, because Haney was not a big enough star. Furthermore, Haney remains focused on his upcoming fight against Prograis and his goal to become a two-division champion. Subsequently, this sudden relinquishment of his lightweight belts has caused fans to go into a frenzy. Check out some of the fan reactions:

Fans reacted to this breaking news by stating how every fighter and promoter was trying to get a shot at acquiring the belts now. Furthermore, some fans were pleased that Haney was moving up in weight to solidify his career further. Subsequently, many fans expressed how Haney never deserved the belt and stated that Lomachenko was robbed.

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