Devin Haney Next Fight: Jorge Linares Replaces Vasyl Lomachenko as Possible Opponent

WBC lightweight champion, ‘The Dream’ Devin Haney, may finally have a return date. The young champion could return to action in May, as per the latest rumors. However, he is taking on Jorge Linares and not Vasyl Lomachenko on his return.

Haney has been in the headlines ever since his victory over Yuriorkis Gamboa in November. The undefeated star claimed he wanted to fight Teofimo Lopez and even engaged in a war of words with the super-champion.

Despite rumors suggesting ‘The Dream’ would fight Lopez next, ‘The Takeover’ will now fight his mandatory, George Kambosos Jr. As a result, reports now revealed Haney will take on Jorge Linares as his next opponent.

Chris Mannix was the first to break the news. He took to his Twitter and revealed the update about Haney’s return. Mannix said the pair are in ‘advanced discussions’ for a title fight. In addition, he also said they are targeting a clash for the month of May.

This may draw some criticism, as fans wanted Haney to face one champion or even former champion in ‘Hi-Tech’. However, as Mannix pointed out, Linares is a former three-division world champion. Hence, he will not be an easy opponent for Haney.

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Who else was in the mix to fight Devin Haney?

As the WBC champion in an exciting lightweight division, Haney had no shortage of choice of opponents. The undefeated champion was strongly linked to Ryan Garcia, Teofimo Lopez, and Vasyl Lomachenko.

Garcia is mandatory for Haney’s WBC belt. Moreover, the pair has a history that dates back to their amateur days. Therefore, he was a serious consideration. In addition, Haney and Lopez went back-and-forth for months. It was a fight that ‘The Dream’ wanted to make.

More recently, Haney got into a social-media altercation with former champion Vasyl Lomachenko. After the exchange, fans got excited, hoped they would see a Haney-Lomachenko bout. However, none of these materialized, and ‘The Dream’ had to settle for Linares.

What do you make of this news surrounding Devin Haney? Do you think Jorge Linares is a good fight for the champion?

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