The WBO has now officially ordered Devin Haney’s first mandatory defence of his welterweight world title.

Haney won the belt in November last year, defeating the hard-hitting Brian Norman Jr to become a three-weight world champion.

Despite a public back-and-forth with Shakur Stevenson for a catchweight bout, Haney must now face Keyshawn Davis should he want to keep his title.

After confirming that Davis was next in line recently, WBO President Gustavo Olivieri today issued the following statement:

“The WBO Championship Committee has officially ordered the commencement of negotiations for the WBO Welterweight Mandatory Championship Title Defence between World Champion Devin Haney and the WBO’s #1 world-rated contender & mandatory challenger Keyshawn Davis.

“Pursuant to the Committee’s ruling and the WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests, the parties are granted twenty (20) days to reach an agreement. Failing such agreement, purse bid proceedings may be requested, with the purse split to be distributed 75% to the Champion and 25% to the Challenger, in accordance with the WBO Rules.”

Davis is yet to fight at 147lbs, but is well-ranked due to holding the WBO belt at lightweight in the past. He only just made the super-lightweight limit for his latest fight – a unanimous decision win over Nahir Albright – and signalled shortly after that he would be moving up.

The match-up is an intriguing proposition for fans, with Davis’ speed and calculated aggression potentially a true test of Haney’s elite defence.

All eyes now turn to Haney, who may be content to drop the belt and continue in his pursuit of bigger fights against the likes of Stevenson or even a returning Gervonta Davis.