Three-division world champion and WBO king 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.
In the 10-round welterweight co-feature, former world champion Brian Norman Jr. takes on two-time world title challenger Abel Ramos.
Haney (33-0, 15 KOs) stopped Zaur Abdullaev in four rounds to win the interim lightweight title in 2019 and was elevated to world champion later that year. After four defenses, he traveled to Australia twice in 2022 to beat George Kambosos Jr., first to claim the undisputed crown and then to defend it. Haney outpointed Vasiliy Lomachenko in May 2023 before moving up to 140 pounds that December, where he dominated Regis Prograis to become a two-division champion. His April 2024 decision loss to Ryan Garcia was later overturned and the bout ruled a no contest. Haney returned in May 2025 to outpoint Jose Ramirez. That November, he dropped Brian Norman Jr. en route to a unanimous decision to capture the WBO welterweight title. In his second appearance at Chase Center, he’ll look to unify titles in a second weight class.
“My resume speaks for itself,” Haney said in a statement. “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 (28-1, 16 KOs) traveled to Puerto Rico in June 2024 and outpointed Subriel Matias to capture the super lightweight world title. The Mackay, Australia, native returned to Puerto Rico that December and lost the belt by split decision to Richardson Hitchins in his first defense. Paro moved up to welterweight the following year, stopping Jonathan Navarro after five rounds and outpointing unbeaten David Papot. In June, he handed Lewis Crocker his first defeat, earning a unanimous decision in Brisbane to become a two-division world champion.
Norman (29-1, 23 KOs) broke through in May 2024, knocking out unbeaten Giovani Santillan in 10 rounds to capture the interim welterweight world title. Elevated to full champion later that year, the Atlanta native made two emphatic defenses in 2025, stopping Derrieck Cuevas and Jin Sasaki before the Haney loss. He returned in May and dispatched Josh Wagner in two rounds.
Ramos (29-6-3, 22 KOs), a Mexican American raised in Casa Grande, Arizona, made his mark in September 2020 when he dropped a split decision to Yordenis Ugas in his first bid for a world title. His second shot came in November 2024, when he traded knockdowns with Mario Barrios en route to a split draw. In February, Ramos rallied to upset previously unbeaten Tahmir Smalls by split decision.
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