Devin Haney, from a Tijuana debut at 17 to three-division world champion

Devin Haney turned professional at 17 in a small Tijuana venue. By 26 he had held world titles in three weight classes and been undisputed lightweight champion, and he was still unbeaten on paper. His career has been built on a sharp jab, careful distance control and a close partnership with his father, Bill Haney. It has also run through disputed scorecards, a doping case and a series of collapsed negotiations. As of November 2026 he holds the WBO welterweight title and is preparing for a unification fight in his birthplace, San Francisco.

From San Francisco to Las Vegas

Devin Miles Haney was born on November 17, 1998, in San Francisco, California. He spent his early childhood in Oakland and started boxing at seven, with his father, Bill Haney, beside him from the start. When Devin was 14 the two moved to Las Vegas, which boxing records still list as his hometown. Bill Haney went on to serve as his son's trainer and manager, and the father-son team has stayed at the centre of every major decision in his career.

Haney's amateur career was long and successful by most accounts, but the figures quoted for it vary from outlet to outlet. This biography does not repeat any single amateur record as settled fact. What is clear is the direction he chose: he left the amateur system young and began his professional career before he turned 18.

A Teenage Debut in Tijuana

On December 11, 2015, less than a month after his 17th birthday, Haney made his professional debut in Tijuana, Mexico, and stopped Gonzalo Lopez in the first round. Over the next few years he built his record on smaller cards, picking up regional belts and the WBC Youth lightweight title while working on the patient, jab-first style that would become his trademark. He fights from an orthodox stance and stands 5 ft 8 in. Reports put his reach at 71 or 72 inches, and even Wikipedia's article gives both figures in different sections.

In 2019 he signed with Matchroom Boxing, which brought bigger stages and the broadcast exposure his team had been pushing for.

Interim Belt to WBC Lightweight Champion

The breakthrough came on September 13, 2019, when Haney stopped Zaur Abdullaev in the fourth round to win the vacant WBC interim lightweight title. A month later the WBC promoted Vasiliy Lomachenko to its "franchise" champion status, and Haney was elevated to full WBC lightweight champion. Some fans questioned a title gained by sanctioning-body decision rather than in the ring. Haney answered with a run of points wins against experienced opposition.

He outpointed Alfredo Santiago in November 2019. On November 7, 2020, he beat Yuriorkis Gamboa by unanimous decision: two judges gave him every round and the third scored it 118–109. On May 29, 2021, he faced the veteran Jorge Linares and won 116–112, 116–112 and 115–113, a closer fight than his earlier defences. On December 4, 2021, he beat Joseph Diaz Jr. 117–111, 117–111 and 116–112. Each win added to his reputation as a technician who rarely lost a round on the outside.

Undisputed in Melbourne

Haney's biggest gamble was to travel to his opponent. On June 5, 2022, he faced George Kambosos Jr. in Melbourne, Australia. Kambosos held the WBA, IBF and WBO belts. Haney controlled the fight behind his jab and won by unanimous decision, 116–112, 116–112 and 118–110. That made him the first undisputed lightweight champion of the four-belt era. Wikipedia's article also calls him the youngest boxer ever to hold an undisputed championship, but that claim is flagged there as lacking a citation.

Kambosos used his rematch clause, and the two met again in Melbourne on October 16, 2022. The second fight was even more one-sided, with scores of 118–110, 118–110 and 119–109.

The Lomachenko Decision and a Second Division

On May 20, 2023, Haney defended his undisputed crown against Vasiliy Lomachenko in Paradise, Nevada. The build-up was tense. Haney was fined for shoving Lomachenko during the weigh-in faceoff. Wikipedia's text gives the fine as $25,000, while the headline of one article it cites refers to a much larger penalty, so accounts of the amount differ. Haney won a unanimous decision, but the result was heavily debated. Many observers, including Lomachenko's camp, believed the Ukrainian had done enough, and judge Dave Moretti's card, especially his scoring of the tenth round, drew sharp criticism. DAZN's own unofficial scoring had the fight a 114–114 draw.

Haney then moved up to super lightweight. On December 9, 2023, at the Chase Center in San Francisco, he challenged WBC champion Regis Prograis and produced the most complete performance of his career. He dropped Prograis with a right hand in the third round and won every round on all three cards, 120–107 across the board. The win made him a two-division world champion, and Sports Illustrated named him its 2023 Fighter of the Year.

The Ryan Garcia Night and the No-Contest

On April 20, 2024, in Brooklyn, Haney met Ryan Garcia in a high-profile fight. Garcia came in 3.2 pounds over the 140-pound limit, which made him ineligible to win Haney's WBC title. During the fight Haney was knocked down three times, in rounds 7, 10 and 11, the first knockdowns of his professional career. Garcia won a majority decision.

The result did not stand. Garcia tested positive for the banned substance ostarine. In June 2024 the New York State Athletic Commission reached a settlement with him: a one-year suspension backdated to the fight, a $10,000 fine and forfeiture of his purse. Reports differ on the disclosed purse figure, with ESPN citing $1.2 million and other reports $1.1 million. The bout was changed to a no-contest, and Haney's record went back to 31-0. His lawyers had pushed for a disqualification win, but Haney accepted the no-contest. The WBC later designated him its "Champion in Recess."

Rebuilding at Welterweight

Haney returned on May 2, 2025, against Jose Ramirez in Times Square, New York. He won 119–109, 119–109 and 118–110, but the fight was widely criticised as cautious, with very little action between the two.

The fight that changed the story came on November 22, 2025, at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, against unbeaten WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. In the second round Haney rocked Norman with a short counter left hook and dropped him with a right hand. He then boxed carefully behind his jab to a unanimous decision: 117–110, 116–111 and 114–113. The win made him a three-division world champion. After years of difficult weight cuts at 135 and 140 pounds, he said he felt stronger fully hydrated and described welterweight as his natural home. "I'm here to stay at 147 for a long time," Haney told ESPN after the fight.

Collapsed Negotiations and the Paro Unification

Haney's 2026 was mostly spent in negotiations. A planned May 30 fight with Rolly Romero fell apart in early April over money. Romero said he had offered an even split. Haney said the deal deducted $6 million in expenses before any split, which he considered unfair. The WBO then ordered a mandatory defence against Keyshawn Davis with a 75–25 purse split in Haney's favour. Top Rank won the purse bid at $8.55 million, but Davis withdrew rather than accept the smaller share. Talks with Shakur Stevenson reached an agreement on a catchweight in June, then collapsed in October, and each side has blamed the other.

In October 2026 Haney signed a multi-fight deal with DAZN through his own company, Devin Haney Promotions. Top Rank then announced a welterweight unification against IBF champion Liam Paro for December 19, 2026, at the Chase Center, the same arena where he beat Prograis. SportsGrid lists Paro at 28-1 with 16 knockouts going into the fight.

Professional Record and Titles

As of November 2026, sources including ESPN, CBS Sports and Wikipedia give Haney's professional record as 33 wins, 0 losses and 0 draws, with 15 wins by knockout and one no-contest (the 2024 Garcia fight). His last completed fight is the November 22, 2025, win over Brian Norman Jr.

Major titles won: WBC lightweight (interim in 2019, elevated to full champion the same year), WBA (Super), IBF and WBO lightweight titles, plus The Ring lightweight championship, making him undisputed lightweight champion from 2022 to 2023; WBC super lightweight title (2023); WBO welterweight title (2025). Earlier in his career he also held the WBC Youth lightweight title and several regional belts.

Sources

• Devin Haney, Wikipedia, accessed 13 November 2026
• Haney dominates Norman to capture WBO welterweight title, ESPN (Brett Okamoto), 23 November 2025
• Devin Haney drops, disciplines Brian Norman Jr. to earn title in third division with WBO welterweight crown, CBS Sports (Brian Campbell), 22 November 2025
• Ryan Garcia suspended one year after positive PED test, ESPN (Mike Coppinger), 20 June 2024
• Devin Haney record, career fight results, stats and titles, DAZN (Mark Lelinwalla), 18 July 2023
• Devin Haney-Liam Paro welterweight unification official for Dec. 19 at Chase Center, SportsGrid, November 2026