Devin Haney goes into an April 20 clash with Ryan Garcia, knowing that a WBC and IBF title unification hangs in the balance.
“The Dream” gets his desired Pay Per View battle against Garcia in Las Vegas before promoter Eddie Hearn pursues a clash with new signing Subriel Matias.
World Boxing News understands that Haney is including in a fight plan for Matias conditional to his signing with Matchroom Boxing.
Matias penned a co-promotional deal alongside Fresh Productions this week, which includes a homecoming title defense and a unification against Haney.
Devin Haney vs Subriel Matias
Once a summer Puerto Rico clash is out of the way, potentially against a Matchroom also-ran opponent, Hearn will crank up talk of a two-belt battle.
Haney has to come through Garcia in the spring before Matias becomes the subject of a massive collision for two versions of the world crown.
WBN also understands that allowing Haney to contest two championships was integral to Hearn’s pursuit of Matias. However, it will have to happen as early as possible in 2024. It’s no secret that Haney is heading to welterweight by 2025.
After inking his contract with Matchroom, Matias promised his Puerto Rican supporters a colossal event that would eventually lead to a massive showdown.
“I am very excited about the deal we’ve reached with Matchroom,” said Matias. “All the big names out there are why this deal was made. I’m the best 140-pounder on the planet.
“I will show this to my people, which makes me immensely happy. I promise to keep working hard to give the fans what they want. Whoever they put in front of me, I will destroy.
“I will not let you down. To my people in Puerto Rico, I will see you soon. And we will have a glorious boxing night.”
In addition, Hearn stated: “I am delighted to welcome Subriel to the team. Subriel is one of the most exciting fighters on the planet, with action guaranteed every time he fights.
World champion
“As a world champion at 140lbs, the fights for him are massive. Puerto Rico is a huge market for Matchroom and DAZN. We are looking forward to holding some huge events there. It will start with Subriel’s heroic return for the first time as a world champion this summer.”
Regis Prograis is another potential opponent for Matias if he can recover quickly from his loss to Haney in December. However, the forthcoming Matias homecoming is unlikely to feature such a big name as the two-time world titleholder in the opposite corner.
There are big plans afoot for the super lightweight division.
Phil Jay is an experienced boxing news writer and has been the Editor of World Boxing News since 2010.
