Key points:
- Keyshawn Davis says stopping Devin Haney would make him “boxing’s new face”
- Bill Haney fired back, telling Davis to stop avoiding meetings with his own team
- The exchange comes just before Monday’s WBO purse bid deadline if a deal isn’t reached
- Davis remains the WBO mandatory challenger for Haney’s welterweight title
Keyshawn Davis believes a win over Devin Haney would do more than earn him a world title, declaring on social media that stopping Haney would make him “a new face of boxing.”
Bill Haney wasted no time responding, turning the pressure back on Davis’s side of the negotiations. “Stop ducking meetings with your manager and promoter; let’s get this deal done,” he wrote on X. The exchange lands just ahead of Monday’s scheduled WBO purse bid, which will be triggered automatically if the two sides can’t finalise terms beforehand.
Davis, 27, has pushed hard for the fight as the WBO’s mandatory challenger, viewing it as his signature opportunity against one of the division’s most recognisable champions. Whether beating Haney would actually deliver the crossover stardom Davis is describing is a separate question. His composure under pressure has been an issue in the past, including an illegal body slam that cost him two points during his rematch with Nahir Albright in May.
Whether the fight gets finalised before Monday’s deadline or heads to a formal purse bid, Davis will get his chance to test the claim directly in the ring.