Reports: Devin Haney Signs DAZN Deal As Keyshawn Davis Mandatory Moves Forward

Devin Haney has signed a multi-fight deal with DAZN and is set to proceed with a WBO welterweight title defence against mandatory challenger Keyshawn Davis, according to a report by Dan Rafael in his Fight Freaks Unite Substack.

The agreement, which has not yet been announced, keeps Haney on DAZN after his last four fights were streamed by the platform on pay-per-view and redirects him away from talks that could have led towards a high-profile fight with Shakur Stevenson under the Zuffa Boxing banner.

Haney had been a promotional free agent and had held discussions over a deal with Zuffa Boxing, where Stevenson recently signed. That route was tied to the much-discussed prospect of Haney facing the lineal and WBO junior-welterweight champion. Still, the talks were complicated by Stevenson’s insistence on a 144lbs catchweight and by the WBO’s order for Haney to defend his welterweight title against Davis.

Stevenson route stalls

Haney and his father, trainer and manager Bill Haney, have traded public messages with Stevenson about the fight, while Bill Haney has also told Fight Hype that he does not believe Stevenson wants to face Devin at 147lbs. Within that dispute, Bill has framed Davis as the fighter willing to step forward for the opportunity rather than waiting on the Stevenson fight.

Stevenson has continued to present Haney as his preferred next opponent, while also discussing Gary Antuanne Russell as a possible alternative later in the year. Stevenson has described Russell, who is currently tied to PBC, as a “hell of a fighter” and has pushed back against the idea that he lacks strong options. Still, Haney’s reported DAZN move leaves Stevenson without the major opponent that had been linked to his own Zuffa deal.

The decision also carries broader industry significance. DAZN has direct relationships with major promotional companies including Top Rank, Golden Boy, PBC, Matchroom Boxing and Queensberry, giving Haney a cleaner route to fights across several rosters while remaining tied to his own promotional entity, Devin Haney Promotions. Teofimo Lopez, who was also reportedly heavily courted by Zuffa, became the first fighter to sign directly with DAZN without being attached to a promoter before his move up to welterweight to challenge WBA titleholder Rolando Romero on August 22 in Las Vegas.

Haney now becomes the second fighter to take that direct route with DAZN. If the platform can continue securing leading fighters through individual agreements, it complicates Zuffa Boxing’s attempt to gain immediate traction by signing the names required to make marquee fights.

Purse bid expected to be avoided

The WBO had ordered Haney and Davis to meet, and after the sides did not reach a deal by the deadline, the sanctioning body scheduled a purse bid for July 27 at its headquarters in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

With Haney now linked to DAZN and Davis promoted by Top Rank, which also has a DAZN agreement, the expectation is that the fight will be made without going to auction. One source told Rafael, “There isn’t going to be a purse bid,” with the bout targeted for October as a co-promotion between Top Rank and Devin Haney Promotions.

Haney, 27, won the WBO welterweight title from Brian Norman by unanimous decision in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November, becoming a three-division champion after previously holding the undisputed lightweight championship and the WBC junior-welterweight title. Davis, also 27, moved into position after deciding to leave junior-welterweight, where he had struggled to make 140lbs, and was installed as the WBO’s No. 1 contender at 147lbs.

Davis last fought on May 16 in Norfolk, Virginia, where he won a wide decision over Nahir Albright in their rematch. He had the option of pursuing a junior-welterweight title opportunity. Still, the move to welterweight now puts him in line for Haney and gives DAZN a significant title fight to launch Haney’s new arrangement.

The immediate next step is for the parties to finalise the terms of Haney-Davis and remove the July 27 purse bid from the calendar. If the October target holds, Haney’s first fight under the DAZN deal will ensure Stevenson must look elsewhere for a big first fight under his own fresh promotional deal.