Haney Aims To Unify Welterweight Titles Against Paro

Devin Haney will defend his WBO welterweight title against IBF champion Liam Paro in a two-belt unification bout on Dec. 19 at Chase Center in San Francisco.

The fight was officially announced Nov. 5, 2026, after weeks of negotiations that included a collapsed deal between Haney and Shakur Stevenson.

Haney, 33-0 (15 KOs), is a three-division world champion and former undisputed lightweight king.

Paro, 28-1, became Australia's newest multiple-division world champion when he stopped Lewis Crocker for the IBF welterweight title in June 2026.

“My resume speaks for itself,” Haney said in a prepared statement quoted by multiple outlets.

“I’ve never been afraid to go into a champion’s backyard and put my record on the line.”

Haney pointed to his 2022 trip to Australia, where he stripped George Kambosos of his lightweight belts and became undisputed champion.

“I went to Australia, took George Kambosos’ belts and became undisputed lightweight champion of the world,” Haney said.

“Now I’m bringing another Australian world champion, Liam Paro, into my backyard.”

“This time, I plan to take his belt and become a unified welterweight world champion right here at home.”

The Bay Area native grew up in Oakland and framed the fight as a homecoming.

“Oakland is where my story started, and the Bay Area has always been part of who I am,” Haney said.

Paro enters as the underdog but has a proven track record of winning on the road.

In 2024, he traveled to Puerto Rico and upset Subriel Matias to win the super lightweight title.

“Three years ago, I was on the undercard at Chase Center the night Devin fought Regis Prograis,” Paro recalled.

“I said back then that Haney versus Paro rolls off the tongue. Now it’s here.”

“Champion versus champion, two belts on the line, in his backyard.”

“I’ve never taken the easy road,” Paro said.

“I went to Puerto Rico and took the title off Matias in front of his own people.”

“Devin’s a great fighter and I respect that. But I’ve been the underdog plenty of times and I’ve made history before.”

“I’m coming to unify the division and make more history.”

Haney has been out of the ring since his Nov. 22, 2025 unanimous decision victory over Brian Norman Jr.

That win earned him the WBO welterweight title.

After that fight, Haney entered negotiations with unbeaten four-division champion Shakur Stevenson, but those talks collapsed.

With Stevenson no longer an option, Haney’s team turned to Paro, who had been in talks to fight on the Dec. 13 Erislandy Lara-Tim Tszyu junior middleweight title card in Australia.

Top Rank President Todd duBoef praised the matchup in a news release.

“The historically prestigious welterweight division is heating up, and it all starts on Dec. 19 in San Francisco when Devin Haney and Liam Paro unify their titles,” duBoef said.

“It is a pleasure to be reunited with Team Haney after orchestrating his successful bid for the undisputed lightweight championship in 2022.”

“Paro is no stranger to winning on the road, having broken the hearts of Puerto Rican fans when he upset Subriel Matias for his super lightweight crown.”

“This is a terrific matchup with massive stakes.”

The co-main event features former welterweight titleholder Brian Norman Jr. against ex-challenger Abel Ramos.

The card is also expected to include unbeaten welterweight and 2024 U.S. Olympian Tiger Johnson.

Haney’s father-trainer-manager, Bill Haney, is already looking beyond this fight.

He has targeted an undisputed welterweight reign as fellow champions Ryan Garcia and Teofimo Lopez Jr. have negotiated for their own unification on Feb. 6, 2027 in Las Vegas.

“We made championship history at Chase Center at 140 pounds,” Bill Haney said, referring to Haney’s title victory over Regis Prograis.