Promoter Eddie Hearn is working on putting together a deal for former two-division world champion Devin Haney to return to 140 to challenge Unbeaten Liam Paro for his newly won IBF light welterweight title on December seventh in Australia.
The IBF’s Rehydration Limit: A Major Hurdle for Haney
The fight may very well be brutal for Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) on account of the International Boxing Federation’s 10-lb rehydration limit. Haney, who rehydrates massive amounts of weight, would want to limit his fluid intake overnight to fulfill the 10-lb rehydration limit the morning of the fight.
If the cash Haney receives for the fight is big, he can handle the IBF’s 10-lb rehydration limit, but his probabilities of winning the battle against the heavy-handed Paro (25-0, 15 KOs) would sink. Whether Haney can return to the 140-lb division safely is questionable because he looked like death warmed over making weight for his last two fights against Ryan Garcia and Regis Prograis.
The San Francisco native, Haney, was skeletal on the weigh-ins for those fights, with eyes sunken in and so severely emaciated that one nervous about whether he would make it to the fights. When a fighter is as drawn as Haney, there are concerns about his health.
That may very well be one reason Haney was beaten up by Ryan last April. His punch resistance was not there for the fight, and he was dropped repeatedly by Ryan in a 12-round decision defeat in Brooklyn, Latest York.
Haney won’t be at his best. He’s young enough to do it, nevertheless it’s only a great idea for him to conform to this fight if the IBF waives its 10-lb rule to make an exception. Nobody would in the event that they needed to withhold fluids until the day of the competition, especially after they’re as big as Haney.
“I spoke to him [Haney], and he says if the deal’s right, I don’t think he’d have an issue going,” said Hearn to BoxingScene.
Paro: A Formidable Opponent
If the cash Haney receives for the fight is big, it is sensible for him to take it, so long as he can handle the IBF’s 10-lb rehydration limit. Haney fought twice in Australia in 2022, beating George Kambosos Jr. Nonetheless, the little ‘Emperor’ is nowhere near the talent level of Liam Paro, and it’s going to be rather a lot tougher for Haney to defeat him.
The southpaw Paro is a giant puncher with a great chin and is coming off a 12-round unanimous decision over IBF 140-lb champion Subriel Matias on June fifteenth in Manatí, Puerto Rico.
Paro used movement, shoving, and clinching to neutralize Matias’s power. Paro used many roughhouse tactics, but they were effective against the limited Matias, who looked like he had no clue easy methods to take care of what he was doing.
