Barboza (32-1, 11 KOs) plans to be a top player in a fast-evolving division that has seen four of the major titles change hands over the last several months courtesy of Devin Haney (WBO), Ryan Garcia (WBC), Rolando Romero (WBA) and Lewis Crocker (IBF). The Ring title is vacant.

Haney (33-0, 18 KOs, 1 NC) and Romero (17-2, 13 KOs) appear to be headed for a fight on May 30.

Romero will surely come in as a heavy betting underdog, much like he did against Garcia when he dropped and scored a unanimous decision in May.

But Barboza doesn’t see the bout being an easy one for Haney.

“I like the fight,” Barboza told The Ring. “I think Rolly is a legitimate threat. He's a champion for a reason. He has power in both hands and looked good at 147 pounds as well. Time will tell if he can hang with Haney. But he already beat Ryan, and you can't knock that win, whatever Ryan says. At the end of the day, Rolly beat Ryan, and that was a good win for him.

“Haney looked amazing and tremendous in his last fight against Brian Norman. But you can never count out Rolly. But I think Haney is going to pull that one out with a win. He's a different beast at welterweight.”

Barboza had a close-up view of Haney and Romero’s recent performances in May as part of The Ring's Times Square show in New York. While Haney beat Jose Ramirez and Romero emerged victorious against Garcia, on the same night, Barboza tasted the first defeat of his career against Teofimo Lopez by unanimous decision.

Barboza said the iffy performance was due to being incredibly active and fighting five times in 16 months against top-notch competition that included wins against Jose Ramirez and Jack Catterall.

Barboza beat Ramirez in November 2024 and Catterall in February 2025 to head straight into the Lopez fight three months later.

Now rested and rejuvenated, the 34-year-old Los Angeles native is looking to stack wins to seize another title shot.

“It feels amazing to be headlining in my hometown. I'm thankful for Golden Boy and DAZN for this opportunity,” said Barboza. “I had a peaceful and great training camp in Big Bear, California, and I’m ready to put on a winning performance. I'm excited to show everyone what we've been working on.”