HOLLYWOOD, Calif – Devin Haney's days at 135 pounds appear to be numbered.
The career-long lightweight and current undisputed champion of the division has made it clear in recent months that making weight is increasingly getting more difficult.
However, if Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) defeats Vasiliy Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) on May 20 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on ESPN+ pay-per-view, he’s open to sweating the scales and playing the waiting game in order to fight Gervonta Davis.
Davis will be fighting Ryan Garcia on April 22, and Tank has made it clear that his preference is to fight the likes of Haney and Shakur Stevenson in the immediate future.
“Yeah, we gotta see [if this is my last fight at 135 pounds]. I don't know. There are so many big fights at 135. It's hard for me to go to 140. I can't say that anything at 140 intrigues me, really. All of the big fights are at 135. We have to see how I feel on May 20,” Haney said in an interview with BoxingScene.com and other reporters.
“Yeah, of course [I would stay at 135 pounds to fight Davis]. I would love to stay at 135 to fight the biggest names. It all starts May 20. I have to be victorious in my next fight and those fights will line up.”
Haney made it evident, however, that he would not agree to catchweight contract clauses as Garcia did with Davis, catering to demands to fight at 136 pounds with just a 10-pound rehydration limit.
“Truthfully I wouldn't and I couldn't do a rehydration clause. At the end of the day, I am the man with the belts and hardware,” said Haney.
“If Ryan was to win, we can possibly get it on at 140. Obviously, the world knows I have trouble making 135. Maybe we can do it at 140 or even 135. No rehydration [clause]. I never do rehydration [clauses].
“The biggest fights are in the 135-pound division.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.