Devin Haney has revealed that Teofimo Lopez turned down a unification fight offer. The WBC super-lightweight champion shared this information after his no-contest bout with Ryan Garcia.
Haney's career has seen significant changes recently. He vacated his undisputed lightweight titles last year and moved up to the 140-pound division. The 25-year-old boxer won the WBC super-lightweight title by defeating Regis Prograis.
His first title defense against Ryan Garcia didn't go as planned. Garcia missed weight and Haney suffered three knockdowns, initially resulting in a loss. However, the result got overturned to a no-contest when Garcia failed two doping tests. Garcia now sits on the sidelines, banned for one year.
After this challenging period, Haney looked to bounce back. He was set for a stay-busy fight in October in Saudi Arabia, with plans for a bigger matchup against Teofimo Lopez afterward. Lopez, a two-weight world champion, had been calling out other top fighters like Terence Crawford and Gervonta Davis.
In an interview with All the Smoke Fight, Haney disclosed:
"It's funny that you ask that, because I was supposed to do a stay-busy fight, get back in the ring, in October in Saudi. The next fight was gonna be Teo. Turki [Alalshikh] and the guys offered him a fight – he said no, he's not ready."
This revelation adds an interesting twist to the boxing landscape. A unification fight between Haney and Lopez would've involved two belts and attracted significant attention in the super-lightweight division.
As it stands, Haney will need to reassess his options for his next fight. The boxer's path forward remains uncertain, but fans will surely keep a close eye on his next move in the ring.
