Devin Haney is coming home to fight for two world titles at once. The 27-year-old WBO welterweight titleholder is scheduled to face IBF champion Liam Paro in a title-unification bout on Dec. 19 at Chase Center in San Francisco, with both belts on the line. Haney fought before a sold-out crowd at Chase Center three years ago.
The unification bout was confirmed in a press release cited by toprank.com, which reported that “Devin Haney will face two-division world champion and IBF titleholder Liam Paro in a welterweight unification showdown Saturday, Dec. 19, at Chase Center in San Francisco.” The same report confirmed that “this is a championship unification, with the WBO and IBF welterweight titles at stake.” Haney enters the fight at 33-0 with 15 knockouts, while Paro, an Australian boxer, carries a 28-1 record with 16 knockouts, according to KRON4.
Haney was born in San Francisco and raised in Oakland, a hometown tie that KRON4 notes runs through his entire career arc. He first brought a world title fight back to the city in 2023, when he beat Regis Prograis at Chase Center in front of a sold-out crowd — the station described it as San Francisco's first title fight in two decades. That night drew roughly 16,000 fans, a figure that prompted Matchroom Boxing chairman Eddie Hearn to declare afterward, “Now we know this place comes out for the big fights,” per the station's earlier report.
How Haney Landed the WBO Belt
Haney's path to this unification fight runs through Saudi Arabia, where he won a unanimous decision over former champion Brian Norman Jr. in November 2025 to capture the WBO welterweight title, scoring a knockdown along the way, according to KRON4. The same win is detailed by toprank.com, which reported that “that November, he dropped Brian Norman Jr. en route to a unanimous decision to capture the WBO welterweight title.” Paro, for his part, has his own history with the venue — he told BoxingScene, “Three years ago, I was on the undercard at Chase Center the night Devin fought Regis Prograis.”
Haney has framed the Dec. 19 bout as both a homecoming and a statement. He said he plans to sustain the championship energy at Chase Center, and told Bad Left Hook, “I plan to take his belt and become a unified welterweight world champion right here at home.” According to KRON4, Haney also said he made history in Australia and wants to make history at home, adding that Oakland is where his story started and that the Bay Area has always been part of who he is.
Undercard Features Former Champion Brian Norman Jr.
The Dec. 19 card is set as a four-fight evening beginning at 5 p.m. Pacific, with the main event expected to start around 8:30 p.m., per KRON4's report. The entire card, including three additional bouts, is scheduled to stream live on DAZN PPV. The 10-round welterweight co-feature pits Norman against two-time world title challenger Abel Ramos, a pairing confirmed by toprank.com and detailed further by Ring Magazine, which lists Norman at 29-1 with 23 knockouts and Ramos at 29-6-3 with 22 knockouts.
The remaining two undercard fights have not yet been announced, according to KRON4. Ticket information also has not been released; toprank.com reported only that “ticket information will be announced shortly.” Fans hoping for a repeat of the 2023 sellout will have to wait for those details before the fight officially goes on sale.
