Shane Mosley Backs Keyshawn Davis as WBO Purse Bid Looms

The former champion gives Davis the edge over Devin Haney as negotiations remain stalled ahead of Thursday’s WBO deadline.

Shane Mosley believes Keyshawn Davis has the edge over Devin Haney if their WBO welterweight title fight is finalized. His prediction arrives with the purse bid hours away and negotiations still separated by a multi-million-dollar gap.

WBO Championship Committee chairman Gustavo Olivieri confirmed the bidding is set for July 30 at 11:00 a.m. AST from the organization’s headquarters in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The minimum bid is $200,000, with Haney entitled to 75 percent of the winning bid as champion and Davis receiving the remaining 25 percent.

Dan Rafael also reported Haney’s side has agreed to terms, leaving the multi-million-dollar gap between Top Rank’s offer and Keyshawn’s asking price as the final obstacle.

Mosley offered his opinion on the matchup after previously training Haney.

“It’s going to be a very difficult fight for both guys. Haney has good fast feet and Keyshawn has to be able to nullify those fast feet that Devin has. Once he does that, I think Keyshawn has the more power,” said Mosley to Fighthype. “He has the better punch. I lean toward Keyshawn Davis because he’s a fighter like me. I love the way he fights, but it could be a hard fight for him if he doesn’t do the right thing.”

Mosley also praised Haney’s unanimous decision over Brian Norman Jr., saying he recognized techniques from their earlier work together.

“I liked that. He did a good job. It seemed like he used some of the things I showed him, the punches, the rope rides and similar techniques. He does have power, so we’ll see what happens.”

Thursday’s bidding is the next hurdle unless the camps bridge the financial divide before the deadline. If no agreement is reached, promoters will compete for the promotional rights through the WBO process.