Devin Haney and Keyshawn Davis were unable to reach an agreement. Now, the hosting rights for the WBO world title fight will be put up for auction.
The world title fight between Devin Haney and Keyshawn Davis continues to take shape. After both camps were unable to reach an agreement within the scheduled negotiation period, the WBO has now ordered a purse bid. The auction for the fight rights will take place on July 27 at the organization’s headquarters in San Juan. The minimum bid is $200,000. Titleholder Haney will receive 75 percent of the winning bid, while challenger Davis will receive the remaining 25 percent.
Davis had been officially named the mandatory challenger for the WBO welterweight world title at the end of June. The former lightweight champion had lost his title not in the ring but on the scales, and subsequently worked his way up through the super lightweight division to the welterweight division. Haney, on the other hand, might have other plans. For weeks, there has been speculation about a possible move to Zuffa Boxing and a fight against Shakur Stevenson. Whether the undefeated three-division champion will defend his WBO belt against Davis or vacate the title should become clearer after the purse bid, at the latest. For Keyshawn Davis, this would be the next big opportunity of his career. He could be fighting for a world title in his very first bout at welterweight.
Text by Robin Josten