The former unified super welterweight boxing world champion, Jermell Charlo, is ready to welcome Devin Haney if his fellow American were to ever move from the 147-pound division to 154.
The 35-year-old is a wildly decorated fighter as a two-time WBC world titlist, who unified other belts, and went through a who’s who of top tier names like Erickson Lubin, Austin Trout, Tony Harrison, Jeison Rosario, and Brian Castano until he ran into Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and lost a lopsided unanimous decision to the Mexican powerhouse at a Las Vegas event in 2023.
Charlo has not been seen since, however, he talks up a possible return to the ring in 2026 — and seems interested in bringing Haney up a division to box.
Haney, eight years Charlo’s junior, has fought a similar gauntlet, beating George Kambosos (twice), Vasiliy Lomachenko, Regis Prograis before a No Contest with Ryan Garcia. In the last year, with wins over Jose Ramirez and Brian Norman, he thumped his way to the pound-for-pound top-10.
A successful move to super welterweight would elevate his status even more as one of the greatest fighters of the modern era.
And it’s a move Charlo encourages.
“Meet me,” he said, in an apparent response to Devin’s father and trainer Bill Haney suggesting in an interview that the fighter would be interested in competing at super welterweight.
Charlo offered advice. “Don’t write a check yo ass can’t cash!”
As a three-weight world champion boxer, Haney, at 27, has already proven pound-for-pound credentials but, even so, there were suggestions after his superb showing against Norman that he’d move to 154. Through Bill, speaking to ThaBoxingVoice, Haney said they were interested in a showdown against the unified champion of the division, Xander Zayas.
It’s clear the Haney’s believe sustained success across multiple champions, picking up world titles in each, is a key part of forging a legacy in modern boxing.
What’s unclear, though, is if they’d be as interested in fighting Charlo — a non-titleholder who has not fought in almost three years — as they would be in Zayas.
