Gervonta Davis to become world champion again as Devin Haney vacates all of his lightweight belts
Devin Haney has announced that he will be vacating all of his lightweight world titles ahead of his next fight.
The former undisputed 135lbs king was previously stripped of his WBC belt, and has now chosen to give up the WBA, IBF and WBO crowns.
Haney's journey on the lightweight world title scene began in 2019 when he won the WBC 'interim' belt and was upgraded to become the full world champion because Vasyl Lomachenko was made WBC 'franchise' champion.
Lomachenko was beaten by Teofimo Lopez in 2020, and Lopez was then himself dethroned by George Kambosos Jr.
There was controversy over Haney's status as champion until last year when he fought Kambosos Jr and beat him to unify all four major world titles as undisputed champion.
Haney then defended the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO belts in a narrow decision win over Lomachenko this year and has since confirmed he will be moving up in weight.
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The 25-year-old's next fight will see him challenge Regis Prograis for his WBC super-lightweight world title on December 9.
As such, he was previously stripped of his WBC lightweight belt, which has since been won by Shakur Stevenson.
And now, Haney has taken things into his own hands and told ESPN that he will be vacating his WBA, IBF and WBO crowns.
He'd previously intended to keep hold of them in case he chose to return to 135lbs, but this will not be happening and he may even head straight up to 147lbs if he beats Prograis for his 140lbs world title on December 9.
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"The biggest fight for me was making that Gervonta Davis fight, and his side showed no interest in making the fight," Haney told ESPN.
"I've outgrown the division, so now I make my quest to 140lbs to become a two-division champion.
"And after this fight, I look to become a three-division champion and move up to 147lbs."
Talk now turns to what is likely to happen with Haney's vacated belts.
As mentioned previously, the already-vacant WBC has since been won by Stevenson.
Haney's WBA world title is likely to now be handed to Davis, who as the current WBA 'regular' belt holder, will be crowned as the WBA's sole king at lightweight.
This will make Tank a two-weight world champion, as he previously reigned at super-featherweight.
Haney's IBF world title may well be contested by two of his former opponents, as it's been reported in recent days that Lomachenko and Kambosos Jr are in talks to fight for the crown on April 13 in Australia.
As for the WBO, it is currently unclear who will compete for the vacant world title, though Denys Berinchyk and Isaac Cruz are currently ranked as the top two contenders.
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