The two-belt welterweight title unification bout between Devin Haney and Liam Paro is confirmed for December 19 at Chase Center in San Francisco.
- The contest pits local three-division champion Haney (33-0, 15 KOs, 1 NC) against Australia’s two-division champion Paro (28-1, 16 KOs).
- Haney puts his WBO title on the line, while Paro brings his IBF belt to the ring.
The matchup was initially reported in October and confirmed by Top Rank on Thursday. The card will stream live on DAZN PPV.
What they’re saying
“My resume speaks for itself,” Haney said. “I’ve never been afraid to go into a champion’s backyard and put my record on the line. I went to Australia, took George Kambosos’ belts, and became undisputed lightweight champion of the world. Now I’m bringing another Australian world champion, Liam Paro, into my backyard. This time, I plan to take his belt and become a unified welterweight world champion right here at home.”
“Oakland is where my story started, and the Bay Area has always been part of who I am. The Valkyries just brought a championship to Chase Center, and on December 19, I plan to keep that championship energy going.”
“I made history in Australia. Now it’s time to make history at home.”
Paro said, “Three years ago, I was on the undercard at Chase Center the night Devin fought Regis Prograis. I said back then that Haney versus Paro rolls off the tongue. Now it’s here. Champion versus champion, two belts on the line, in his backyard.”
“I’ve never taken the easy road. I went to Puerto Rico and took the title off Matias in front of his own people. Devin’s a great fighter and I respect that. But I’ve been the underdog plenty of times and I’ve made history before. December 19, I’m coming to unify the division and make more history.”
- The co-feature is a welterweight bout between former champion Brian Norman Jr. (29-1, 23 KOs) of Decatur, Georgia, and former title challenger Abel Ramos (29-6-3, 22 KOs) of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Other Haney vs Paro undercard bouts are expected to be announced shortly.