“Just got off the phone with Louie DeCuba,” Haney wrote. “The ball’s back in your court. May 30th. Deebo is coming.”
Brooklyn’s Barclays Center has been discussed as the possible site if the fight is finalized. Devin Haney holds the WBC welterweight title, and Rolando Romero owns the WBA belt, which would make the bout a unification if both sides reach an agreement.
Romero’s situation has become more complicated because the World Boxing Association is expected to order him to defend the belt against unbeaten contender Shakhram Giyasov. Unless the sanctioning body allows time for a unification fight, that mandatory defense would normally be the next step.
Choosing between those paths carries both financial and competitive implications. A fight with Haney would likely bring far more attention and money than a mandatory defense against Giyasov, who is still building his name in the division.
At the same time, Giyasov represents a serious challenge in the ring, having developed a reputation for discipline, pressure, and consistent work across twelve rounds.
A defeat in that mandatory defense would remove Romero from titleholder status and reduce his negotiating power for the high-profile fights that currently remain available. Retaining the belt keeps those options alive and preserves his position near the top of the division.
Romero last appeared in May 2025 when he headlined against Ryan Garcia in a Riyadh Season event staged in New York. That appearance produced one of the largest purses of his career and reinforced the financial upside attached to major welterweight events.
Haney’s message now places a visible date into the public discussion and signals that his side expects Romero’s camp to decide whether the unification bout will move forward. If the agreement stalls, the mandatory defense against Giyasov may soon become the direction the titleholder must take.
