By Adam Baskin: Devin Haney is expected to be scouting Regis Prograis tonight in the first title defense of his WBC light welterweight belt against Danielito Zorrilla.
Eddie Hearn says Haney won’t be attending the Prograis-Zorrilla fight because he’s got something he’s got a prior commitment, but he’s clearly going to be keeping tabs on the contest.
Hearn says he’s going to make an offer to the unbeaten Haney (30-0, 15 KOs) next week, and if he’s hoping, he’ll accept it. Like many, Hearn sees Regis beating Haney and not just he promotes him. He feels he’s the better fighter.
The power and toughness that Prograis (28-1,24 KOs) has going for him would give him a tremendous advantage over Haney, who can’t punch and has been hurt in multiple fights at 135, including his last one against Vasyl Lomachenko.
Haney will likely want to get acclimated to the 140-lb division first before he tackles a killer like Prograis because the guys he’s been fighting at 135 haven’t given him the adequate experience to get him ready for what he’d be dealing with in this fight.
Bill Haney hasn’t said yet what he plans on having Devin face next. Earlier this week, Bill posted a short clip of him sitting down with Top Rank promoter Bob Arum to discuss the three options he had for him. But since then, Bill has gone quiet and has been keeping a low profile.
Chris Mannix: “Who would you favor in a Haney-Prograis fight?” said Mannix to DAZN’s JABS.
Sergio Mora: “I would have to just right off the bat say Regis Prograis. He’s a natural 140-pounder, a very smart strong southpaw. The resume is there, the power’s there, the styles there, and the hunger’s there.
“Ever since losing that fight, Regis Prograis has gone on four straight wins. All four by knockout. I think power will be the deciding factor here, and Haney has already been shook at 135. I think if he steps up five pounds North, it’s going to be a big difference against a monster like Regis Prograis.
Mannix: “A lot of the backlash that Devin Haney has received over the last few weeks has been ridiculous. It was a close fight between Devin Haney and Vasily Lomachenko.
“It could have gone either way, but you know what happens when you have the best fighting the best. You get a lot of close fights that could have gone either way.
“The idea that Haney against Lomachenko was some kind of robbery is ludicrous. Devin Haney won that fight fair and square. It’s fine if you scored it a different way but don’t say that fight was a robbery. Devin Haney earned that decision.
“I bring that up because right now, we’re seeing Regis Prograis’ stock be at its highest. Regis Prograis was just competed for by multiple promotional outfits.
“He’s got a three-fight deal with Matchroom that we believe is going to lead to a title unification fight at some point in the next year.
“Whereas Devin Haney, even though he’s the Undisputed champion at 135, his stock maybe has slipped a little bit where people are saying, ‘He should have gotten beat by Lomachenko, or his chin would never hold up to Gervonta Davis’ power, or if he goes to 140, he’s avoiding Shakur Stevenson.
“Like that’s actually a fact that should be in play. I think Devin Haney in a matchup with Prograis would be unbelievably underrated. Now to go against Prograis, you’re going to have to out boxing, but Devin Haney has shown that outside of Shakur Stevenson, there aren’t many guys in that 130-135 weight class that could outbox him and by not having to cut down to 135, which has been extremely difficult.
“He’s going to be in better shape. His chin’s probably going to be a little bit stronger. I think that is an ultra-competitive fight. If it happened tomorrow, I would probably favor Regis Prograis by just a little bit but more likely than not, if Devin Haney takes on Prograis, it’s going to be after he gets one fight at 140 to get used to that weight class.
“After that, complete pick ’em, and you know what I think. Devin Haney’s skills are so sharp that if this fight took place in six to eight months, I would favor Devin Haney in that fight.”
