“Just got off with Louie DeCuba,” wrote Bill Haney. “The ball is back in your court. May 30. Deebo is coming.”
The message points to May 30 as the proposed date for a welterweight unification bout between Devin Haney and Rolando Romero. Brooklyn’s Barclays Center has been mentioned as the potential site.
The timing puts Romero in a difficult position as the World Boxing Association is expected to order a mandatory defense against undefeated contender Shakhram Giyasov. Giyasov built his reputation through a long amateur career and has continued that success since turning professional, developing a reputation for discipline and constant pressure in the ring.
Mandatory title defenses rarely bring in the same revenue as voluntary fights between champions. A fight with Haney is likely to generate a bigger gate and stronger financial backing than a defense against Giyasov, whose reputation has grown through results rather than mainstream attention.
Giyasov also represents a real competitive threat. His technical discipline and steady pressure have made him one of the more respected welterweight contenders, and he has the type of style that can trouble a champion over twelve rounds. If Rolly were to lose that mandatory defense, the title would disappear, and the negotiating power that comes with it would disappear with it, making the bigger fights currently available much more difficult to secure.
Romero last squared off against Ryan Garcia in a Riyadh Season event in New York in May 2025, an appearance that yielded one of the biggest purses of his career. Holding a championship belt has helped keep him attached to similar events ever since.
Haney’s message now puts a visible timeline on the negotiations and publicly indicates that his side believes the proposal is already on the table. Romero’s team must now decide if they want to continue the unification match or prepare for the mandatory challenge that could come soon.
