By virtue of owning the WBC, WBO, WBA, IBF, and Ring Magazine titles, Devin Haney is the undisputed lightweight champion of the world. 

For the longest time, the 24-year-old Haney had to fight off the "email champion" title and tag that came with the first belt that he owned.  

On Sept. 13, 2019, Haney won the WBC's 135-pound interim title when he beat Zaur Abdullaev. By Oct. 23, 2019, the sanctioning body elevated Haney to full champion and declared the regular titleholder at the time, Vasiliy Lomachenko, would be the franchise champion.

Ever since the reshuffling of the division’s deck, Haney had to fight for the legitimacy of his championship.

He further answered his detractors by twice beating then-unified champion George Kambosos Jr. in 2022. 

If you ask Gervonta Davis – who owns a secondary 135-pound WBA title ever since Dec. 2019 – he’s not impressed by Haney’s status.  

“They gave Devin [Haney] a belt. He didn’t fight for his belt. When he became undisputed, he waited for Kambosos to win the [WBO, WBA, IBF, and Ring] belts. When Teofimo [Lopez Jr.] had the belts, they didn't fight. As quickly as he fought with Kambosos, he could have fought with Teofimo. Both are on the same side,” Davis told Brian Custer on “The Last Stand."

“Of course, he has all these belts [now] and people still don't know him. He can't fight in his own hometown. He can't sell it out. It's just jabs at [me] – the champ. He knows who the real champ is. You know what I mean?”

The Baltimore-bred Davis and Las Vegas-based Haney both compete in a stacked weight class that also features the likes of Shakur Stevenson, Ryan Garcia, and Lomanchenko, among others. 

Haney is next slated to face Lomanchenko this spring, while Davis is set to take on Garcia in April. 

Fresh off a win against Hector Luis Garcia to kick off the year, Davis wants to fight three times in 2023, with the third bout being against either Haney or Stevenson. 

"If it gets down to it, I'm definitely willing to fight. I'm willing to fight for sure. Once the Ryan Garcia fight gets through, I'm willing to fight in a heartbeat,” said Davis. 

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com.