The long-awaited clash between Devin Haney and Shakur Stevenson is closer than ever after the two rivals finally verbally agreed to a catchweight overnight.

​Negotiations for the blockbuster bout had previously stalled over the contracted limit, unsurprising given the difference in their recent career trajectories. Haney has now established himself at 147lbs, capturing the WBO welterweight world title last November with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Brian Norman Jr. in Riyadh. He was, at one stage, insistent on a bona fide 147lb clash if he was to face Stevenson.

​Stevenson, meanwhile, has only just arrived at 140lbs. The Newark southpaw officially became a four-weight world champion in January when he put on a masterclass to thoroughly outpoint Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden. Despite his flawless transition to super-lightweight, Stevenson had been heavily pushing for a much lower 144lb catchweight against Haney, leading to a bitter public stalemate. Haney also hit back at attempts to include a rehydration clause.

​The obstacle appeared to he finally overcome during a late-night exchange on X when Stevenson publicly accepted Haney’s counter-offer to meet in the middle at 145lbs.

​Confirming the newly proposed limit, Stevenson said: “You got a deal.”

145.0 U GOT A DEAL DEEHOE!!!!

— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) October 8, 2026

​Crucially, there was no mention of the rehydration clause that Haney had previously urged Stevenson to drop. The absence of that stipulation in the overnight exchange suggests that secondary hurdle may also have been quietly cleared.

​While anything official may be days or weeks away the public compromise removes the biggest stated obstacle to the fight. Both men are coming off career-defining championship victories, and with the weight dispute seemingly resolved, the pressure is now firmly on both camps to put pen to paper and deliver one of the most significant fights in US boxing.

Jake Paul wants Canelo AlvarezRyan Garciaand Deontay Wilder, but his knockout loss to Anthony Joshua makes those ambitions harder to sell. Calling out bigger names keeps him in the conversation. Getting them into the ring could require Jake to rebuild with some wins first.

“Before I rest…” Paul wrote on Xlisting potential opponents before tagging Nakisa Bidarian with the instruction: “Make it happen.”

His targets also include Francis Ngannou, Conor McGregor, Sean Strickland, Darren Till, KSI, Chris Eubank, Edgar Berlanga and Tom Aspinall. Jake specifies boxing for Aspinall, boxing and MMA for McGregor, and MMA for Nate Diaz. He adds “World Title” without naming a division or belt.

The Joshua defeat hangs over that entire pitch. Jake can still offer opponents publicity and a commercially attractive event, but another major boxing matchup would invite questions about whether viewers are buying a competitive fight or another knockout.

That could make the bigger names harder to secure. They would have to see enough value in facing Jake to accept the criticism that comes with fighting someone Joshua already stopped. A social media callout gives them little reason to commit.

Jake needs some distance from that loss, and victories would do more for him than another ambitious list. A run of wins could help rebuild interest in what he can accomplish inside the ring. The quality of those opponents would also count. Beating fighters who offer little resistance would leave the same questions waiting when he calls for Canelo or Wilder again.

There is also a difference between selling a comeback and selling a world-title challenge. Jake’s post provides plenty of names for crossover events, but no explanation of how he intends to earn a shot at a belt.

His promotional hustle has kept him visible. After the Joshua knockout, visibility alone may be insufficient to persuade the opponents he wants—or the audience—to buy the next big boxing pitch.

Bidarian has a list to work through. Jake needs to give him a stronger selling point by winning again.

Israil Madrimov gets back to work on October 30 at Humo Arena in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, taking on Seymur Isayev after another lengthy stretch of inactivity. The Uzbekistan Professional Boxing Federation confirmed the booking, per Sports.kz.

This marks just the second ring appearance for the former WBA junior middleweight champion since dropping tough decision losses to Terence Crawford then Vergil Ortiz Jr. Madrimov took care of business against Luis David Salazar back in January. Still, sitting out for nine months right after that win stalled his momentum toward the division belt holders.

Isayev brings a southpaw stance from Azerbaijan into the biggest test of his career. He rides a string of knockout victories, but stepping into Tashkent against an elite operator like Madrimov represents an entirely different level of competition.

Madrimov gets a prime opportunity to showcase his skills in front of his hometown supporters. Whether that victory actually pushes him toward the top contenders at 154 pounds really hinges on his performance plus how fast his team lines up the next assignment.

Madrimov secured world championship status by halting Magomed Kurbanov in 2024. Crawford took the belt later that summer, with the Ortiz defeat arriving in February 2025. Those setbacks came against the absolute best fighters in boxing, so they never completely booted him from title relevance.

Health troubles also disrupted his schedule. He struggled with bronchitis that spiraled into pneumonia around the Ortiz bout, followed by surgeries on his shoulder along with his knee. That ordeal kept him out of action for roughly eleven months before he defeated Salazar.

Nobody has officially explained the reason for the latest delay. We have a confirmed fight date now, though nothing points to another physical setback.

Madrimov wants to turn his earlier victory into real traction. Putting on a clinic against Isayev will help, but another long vacation right afterward keeps him running in place. He needs this hometown showcase to serve as a launchpad. Madrimov is 31 years old with only 14 professional bouts under his belt, so running a once-a-year schedule is boxing suicide for a guy trying to claw back into championship contention.

At 154 pounds, the division moves too fast to sit on the shelf for eight or nine months between tune-ups. When an ex-champion drops back-to-back decision losses to the very top tier, taking almost a year off just to beat Luis David Salazar, and then disappearing for another nine months before fighting an unproven Seymur Isayev, all momentum disappears.

A four-fight schedule would force mandatory activity, keep him sharp, and put him in front of the sanctioning bodies every three months. Even if two of those dates are quick stay-busy showcases against guys he can blast out early, it builds the fight frequency he desperately lacks. Right now, by the time he gets through two prolonged training camps and unexplained layoffs, another year has evaporated, and the younger contenders pass him by.

If he does not start fighting every three to four months, his physical prime will be completely gone before he ever touches another major purse or world title shot.