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.
Abel Sanchez is unconvinced by Ryan Garcia’s bid for Fighter of the Year, arguing that Garcia’s marquee wins crumble upon closer inspection. The veteran trainer throws his support behind O’Shaquie Foster or Daniel Dubois instead, openly questioning how Conor Benn ever climbed so high in the WBC rankings before stepping into the ring with Garcia.
Foster earned his credentials by beating Raymond Ford before unifying three super featherweight belts against Emanuel Navarrete. Dubois took care of business by stopping Fabio Wardley twice. To Sanchez, both fighters compiled far more credible resumes than Garcia did by beating Benn and Mario Barrios.
When pressed on Benn holding the WBC’s top spot at welterweight, Sanchez brushed it off entirely.
“In whose mind was he rated number one? He wasn’t rated number one. He didn’t belong in the top 10,” Sanchez said to Fight Hub TV. “When reminded that Benn was the official mandatory challenger, the trainer fired back: “Of course, for Ryan Garcia.”
Sanchez highlights a glaring issue with Garcia’s case. Benn lacked meaningful experience against elite competition, regardless of the sanctioning body’s endorsement. His signature victory came against a mid-30s Chris Eubank Jr., whose career mostly unfolded at domestic and continental levels. While beating Eubank gave Benn name recognition, it hardly proved he was a top-tier welterweight.
Barrios entered the ring holding a belt, yet observers widely viewed him as the most vulnerable titlist in the division. Split draws against Manny Pacquiao and Abel Ramos exposed clear vulnerabilities. Sanchez also pointed out that Barrios gained his champion status through elevation outside the ropes rather than claiming the crown in a fight.
Garcia capitalized on the openings in front of him. Even so, glossy rankings and sanctioning titles can be deceiving when evaluating true resume strength.
If Ryan fought Ennis and took his title, nobody could argue the matchmaking was soft. A high-profile catchweight or junior middleweight scalp against an undisputed or unified titlist. If he moved up to challenge an established world champion at 154 and convincingly defeated them, the sheer ambition and degree of difficulty would outweigh rival claims from Foster or Dubois.
Right now, voters see flash and opportunistic matchmaking. To lock down Fighter of the Year, Garcia has to deliver a signature win where he enters the ring as the underdog against an elite, prime world champion and completely dominates.
Foster presents the standout claim, turning back two proven operators and stripping Navarrete of his hardware. Dubois made an undeniable statement with consecutive stoppages over Wardley. While Garcia delivered flash, Foster collected the victories with real substance.
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Canelo Alvarez attempts to reclaim the WBC super-middleweight title as he challenges Christian Mbilli on Saturday, and ahead of the action, two-time welterweight world champion Shawn Porter has predicted that the fight will not go the full distance.
Canelo has gone the full 12 rounds in his last eight bouts, having not registered a stoppage since he halted Caleb Plant in 2021 to become the first undisputed super-middleweight world champion in boxing history.
Meanwhile, 24 of Mbilli’s 29 career victories have not required the judges and the French-Cameroonian has scored first-round knockouts in two of his last four contests, quickly disposing of both Mark Heffron and Maciej Sulecki.
Speaking to DAZNPorter advised Mbilli to target the body of Canelo, in what will be the champion’s first ever world title bout.
“He has a similar style to me, I could do a lot of what Mbilli does. I would tell Mbilli, ‘While you are pushing Canelo back, make sure you are digging to the body and then also make sure that you are stepping around him’.
“I think that the most important part for Mbilli is making sure that he stays off the line because he is going to be right in line for a right-hand all night because we know he is straight, he is right there in front of you.”
Yet, despite offering ‘Solide’ some words of wisdom, Porter went on to predict that Canelo will end his ongoing decision streak and score a statement stoppage win.
“I got him [Canelo] stopping Mbilli. Uppercut or left-hook.”
Canelo-Mbilli takes place on Saturday, October 31 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, with world champions Rafael Espinoza and Jaime Munguia also set to appear on the undercard.
Shakur Stevenson has been ordered to fulfil the first mandatory defence of his WBO super-lightweight world title.
The Newark southpaw moved up from lightweight – subsequently being stripped of his WBC belt in that division – to face Teofimo Lopez back in January.
Stevenson put on a boxing masterclass to become just the second man to beat Lopez and a four-division world champion.
He has since signed with, and been released from, Zuffa Boxing, while targeting fights with the likes of Devin Haney, Gary Antuanne Russell and Manny Pacquiao.
Fresh off his free agency – a decision he says he made in order to secure the biggest and best fights in the sport – Stevenson has now been ordered to face Raymond Muratalla.
Muratalla vacated his IBF lightweight belt last month, having been upgraded from interim to full champion in June 2025. He defended the belt against Andy Cruz and Robson Conceicao before making the decision to move up.
Promoter Top Rank recently lobbied the WBO to install the Robert Garcia-trained fighter as mandatoryand President of the sanctioning body, Gustavo Olivieri, has now confirmed the decision.
“Please be advised that the WBO World Championships Committee has unanimously resolved to order the commencement of negotiations between WBO Jr. Welterweight World Champion Shakur Stevenson and WBO #1 World-Rated Contender Raymond Muratalla, in fulfillment of the outstanding mandatory championship obligation.
“The parties shall have 20 days to reach terms, pursuant to WBO Regulations.
“This determination reaffirms our institutional commitment to the consistent enforcement of mandatory championship obligations, competitive fairness, & the integrity of our World Championships.
“The formal negotiation order notice will be issued shortly.”
The ball is now in Stevenson’s court, with his immediate options being face the undefeated mandatory or vacate the belt.
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