Devin Haney is done waiting on Shakur Stevenson, at least for now. Ring Magazine reported that Haney, the WBO welterweight champion, will face IBF titleholder Liam Paro in a unification bout on Dec. 19, 2026, in San Francisco, California.
The fight came together after negotiations between Haney and Stevenson stalled once again. Anyone who has followed those two has heard that before. This time the breakdown came only a few days after Haney signed a deal with DAZN, and instead of sitting through another stretch of back-and-forth, his side went looking for another belt holder and found one.
Haney is undefeated at 33-0-1 with 15 knockouts. His most recent appearance was a win over Brian Norman Jr. almost a year ago, and that’s the night he picked up the WBO title. December is his chance to stack a second strap on top of it.
Paro (28-1) shows up with real momentum. He won the IBF title earlier this year by beating Lewis Crocker, his third straight victory. His only loss came in Dec. 2024 against Richardson Hitchins, and that one cost him his light welterweight title. He rebuilt at welterweight, took a belt, and now gets the biggest opportunity of his career against a fighter nobody has beaten.
Whoever wins in San Francisco still has plenty of business left before anyone can talk about owning the division. Teofimo Lopez holds the WBA super title, Jack Catterall has the WBA regular belt, and Ryan Garcia is the WBC champion. The Ring belt is vacant. Every one of those names is a fight people would pay to see, which means the Dec. 19 winner walks out with two titles and a phone full of options heading into 2027.
The Stevenson fight was the one everyone wanted, and I’m tired of watching it die in negotiations. Still, I’ll take a champion vs. champion fight over a tune-up every time, and Paro is no soft landing. He’s a guy who lost a title, climbed back with three wins, and has nothing to lose against an undefeated star. That’s the most dangerous kind of opponent. If Haney looks sharp and leaves with the IBF belt, he walks back into any Stevenson talks holding two titles instead of one. If Paro pulls it off, the whole welterweight picture gets reshuffled on Dec. 19.
