Report: Devin Haney and Liam Paro Agree to Welterweight Unification Before Year's End

Devin Haney finally has his next fight lined up, and it's for a second welterweight belt. Haney and IBF champion Liam Paro have agreed to a WBO and IBF title unification, The Ring's Mike Coppinger reported Thursday on "Inside The Ring," with the bout expected in the U.S. before the end of the year.

No date or venue has been officially announced. The Ring said the two sides have reached a deal, and DAZN Boxing and Boxing News 24 carried the same report. Last week, BoxingScene reported that Haney holds a Nov. 28 date at State Farm Arena in Atlanta and that an official monitoring the talks said Paro would be the pick there. That date hasn't been confirmed for this fight.

How we got here

Haney (33-0, 15 KOs, 1 NC) hasn't fought since he beat Brian Norman Jr. by unanimous decision on Nov. 22, 2025, in Saudi Arabia to win the WBO welterweight title and become a three-division champion. He spent months negotiating with Shakur Stevenson, but those talks fell apart over weight and a rehydration clause, as The Ring noted. Stevenson has since left Zuffa Boxing, as Boxbid reported earlier this week.

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Paro (28-1, 16 KOs), 30, is a two-division champion from Australia. The southpaw won the IBF welterweight title with a unanimous decision over Lewis Crocker on June 24, per The Ring, and has won three straight since losing his IBF 140-pound belt to Richardson Hitchins by split decision in December 2024. A fight with Haney would be his biggest test on U.S. soil.

Think the long layoff catches up with Haney, or does he collect a second belt? Make your call on Fight Picker once the date is set.