Today, WBC (World Boxing Council) President Mauricio Sulaimán announced that Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs), a two-weight world champion, has been temporarily stripped of his formal WBC super lightweight title and designated as the “Champion in Recess.”
Sulaimán stated, “Devin Haney’s team reached out to the WBC requesting that he be granted Champion in Recess status, allowing him sufficient time for recovery. Devin Haney is not currently ready to compete. I fully support Devin Haney’s decision as he needs proper rest. The recent actions by the New York State Athletic Commission were fair, with Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) coming in overweight, employing psychological tactics, and testing positive for a banned substance. Despite this, Devin Haney displayed great courage. He was knocked down three times, and while many would have given up, Devin Haney showed tremendous resilience, getting back up each time to continue fighting. Post-fight, I have immense respect for Devin Haney, and I will fully support his choice.”
The WBC now intends to stage an arbitration between mandatory challenger Sandor Martin (42-3, 15 KOs) and WBC interim super lightweight champion Pedraza (23-0, 10 KOs) to determine the new WBC official champion at 140 pounds.
