Devin Haney Named ‘Champion In Recess’: WBC Orders Alberto Puello-Sandor Martin

Devin Haney has made his choice.

A ruling was made to downgrade the unbeaten two-division titlist to WBC ‘Champion in Recess’ at junior welterweight. Haney, No. 1 at 140, requested the move after he informed the sanctioning body he was unable to move forward with a mandatory to title defense versus Spain’s Sandor Martin.

“WBC Super Lightweight World Champion Devin Haney requested to be placed in the status of Champion in Recess,” WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed. “The WBC Board of Governors unanimously granted Champion Haney’s request and has declared him WBC World Champion in Recess.”

The decision was rendered less than a week after Top Rank won the rights to the ordered Haney-Martin title fight. Haney (31-0, 15 knockouts; 1 No-Contest) was due to earn $1,524,600 for the fight that was targeted to take place this fall.

However, he recently revealed his intentions to instead abandon his current title reign and likely sit out the rest of the year.

The fight was ordered on May 11 but the 30-day negotiation period came and went without a deal in place. The call came on the heels of Haney’s 12-round majority decision defeat to Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs; 1 NC) on April 20 in Brooklyn, New York.

Haney retained his title despite the setback, due to Garcia weighing 3.2 pounds over the divisional limit.

Garcia was the subject of a drug testing investigation after he tested positive for the banned substance Ostarine through three different tests. A settlement was reached with The New York State Athletic Commission for Garcia to be suspended for a minimum of one-year and the result changed to a No-Contest.

There still remained the matter of defending his title. Haney was not willing to move forward with the fight, but decided to ride out the purse bid result before he made that decision.

Martin (42-3, 15 KOs), No. 9 at 140, will still get his title shot. It will come against Albert Puello (23-0, 10 KOs), who was recently upgraded to full titlist from interim status. The two sides will have 30 days to reach terms.

The outcome nullified Top Rank’s purse bid win, and the process will reset.

In a continuation of that ruling, Gary Antuanne Russell (17-1, 17 KOs) was named as next in line to challenge the Puello-Martin winner.

Russell lost via split decision to Puello in their June 15 interim WBC 140-pound title fight. The 2016 U.S. Olympian from Capitol Heights, Maryland protested the WBC to order an immediate rematch versus Puello. The sanctioning body instead promised a shot at the last man standing.

Haney will likely campaign at welterweight moving forward. However, he remained noncommittal on his next move as this goes to publication.

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