Devin Haney is closing in on a new opponent, and it is not the man most people expected. Haney is in advanced talks to defend his WBO welterweight title against Britain’s Jack Catterall on October 3, as Boxing News 24 reported — a move that would pull Catterall away from his ordered WBA fight with Rolly Romero.
Why Devin Haney turned to Catterall
Boxing News 24 reported on Friday that talks gathered pace once Haney’s negotiations with Australia’s Liam Paro broke down over the fighter’s financial demands. Catterall arrives with a belt of his own, holding the WBA “Regular” welterweight title after outpointing Shakhram Giyasov earlier this year.
That title teed up a mandatory clash with Romero, the WBA’s primary welterweight champion, who was ordered to face Catterall. Because Haney holds the WBO belt and Catterall carries only the secondary WBA version, a Haney–Catterall bout would not be a true unification, despite two titles being in the ring — a swerve away from Haney’s tangled mandatory picture.
Catterall has chased Haney for years, going back to their light-welterweight days. If the deal is signed, that long pursuit looks set to jump ahead of the Romero fight already waiting for him — provided the October 3 date lands before his WBA window closes.
