By Charles Brun: Promoter Eddie Hearn says the highly anticipated Regis Prograis vs. Devin Haney fight will occur in late November or early December.
Haney (30-0, 15 KOs), a huge fighter for the 135-lb division, will be moving up in weight to 140 to challenge Prograis 29-1, 24 KOs) for his WBC light welterweight title.
Many boxing fans on social media wonder why the popular Haney has chosen the 34-year-old Prograis as the champion to fight for a world title at 140 because he literally could face any of the belt-holders. The answer is simple. Prograis is showing age and is there to be beaten.
The old guy isn’t what he used to be, so the wolf-like Haney is ready to swoop in and take advantage of him just as he did against his last opponent, 35-year-old Vasily Lomachenko, who is long in the tooth and not the fighter he once was.
“Regis against Haney. That’ll be the 2nd or 9th of December, probably or November, the week before,” said Matchroom Boxing promoter Hearn to iFL TV on when WBC light welterweight champion Regis Prograis will defend against Devin Haney.
In Prograis’ last fight against the unheralded Danielito Zorrilla, he looked all of 34, struggling to win a twelve round split decision last June in front of his home fans in New Orleans.
That fight was Prograis’ debut with Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing company, and you can imagine that the British promoter had serious regrets for signing him to a lucrative contract.
Devin and his eagle-eyed father, Bill Haney, obviously saw the age in Prograis – hence, they went in that direction to fight for a world title at 140 rather than take on the dangerous IBF champ Subriel Matias for his strap.
You can argue that Haney is an opportunist, preying on older fighters, but that’s how the sport has always been. Ideally, Haney would select Matias as the champion that he fights for a belt at 140, but he’s not crazy.
The heavy-handed Matias would be an absolute Haney who has been hurt by Vasily Lomachenko, Joseph ‘JoJo’ Diaz, and Jorge Linares in the last two years.
Haney needs the WBC belt so that he can have it to strengthen his hand in negotiating a fight with WBO 140-lb champ Teofimo Lopez. It’s essential that have a title when he begins negotiating with Teofimo; otherwise, he would be in a weakened position as a belt-less challenger, making it nearly impossible to get the split that he wants for that fight.
