Regis Prograis’ strength coach Evins Toblers says Devin Haney will get knocked out if he faces IBF 140-lb champion Subriel Matias next. He feels that fighters will run from Matias (20-1, 20 KOs), and the only one that won’t avoid him is Prograis, who is fearless.
Tobler makes it clear that Haney’s days sitting on the WBC throne are numbered, and his short reign could end in his next fight if he chooses to be bold in taking on the boogieman of the 140-lb division, Matias.
Prograis’ coach Tobler isn’t afraid to speak the truth, and he won’t pull punches after Regis’ defeat last weekend.
Haney on the run
He feels that Matias packs too much power for Haney, and his running against Prograis won’t work against the Puerto Rican. Tobler sees Matias chasing Haney down and turning his lights out, reducing him to contender status if he mixes it with him next.
Haney showed how he’d fight Matias last Saturday night by running from Prograis the entire fight, much to the disappointment of the 16,000+ fans who saw the two fight at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California.
Devin’s dad, Bill Haney, made it obvious that they want nothing to do with Matias when he talked of him asking for $4 million, which turned out to be a nonsensical story with no validity behind it.
That was a signal that Bill was more interested in easier pickings for Devin, choosing to keep him protected in the shadows rather than face the boogieman of the 140-lb division, Matias.
Tobler insists that Prograis won’t shy away from battling Matias and will take that fight right now if it’s a possibility.
“Subriel Matias can punch, and he ain’t afraid to get hit. That would be a tough fight,” said Evins Tobler to MillCity Boxing when asked about his thoughts on a fight between WBC light welterweight champion Devin Haney and IBF champ Subriel Matias.
“I like Matias by knockout [over Haney]. He’s knocking everybody out. He ain’t scared. He comes in with whatever that thing he is doing. Matias comes in, and he ain’t afraid. Listen, they’re going to run from Matias. The only one that is going to fight Matias is Regis.”
The powerful IBF champion Matias is the lurking monster at 140, ready to rip Haney to pieces or any fighter brave or foolish enough to dare step into the ring with him.
In Tobler’s mind, Prograis (29-2, 24 KOs) is the only titan willing to take on the lurking monster Matias, and that’s because he’s got the courage and the power to stand and fight, not turning it into a 400-meter sprint.
“Everybody else is going to run from Matias. I think Haney would fight Matias if they made the money right,” said Tobler. “Haney is in position. He can do what the f*** he wants to do. That’s how boxing is going, and as I get more and more into the business side of the sport because I stay on my side. I don’t f*** around with all that other stuff.
“He [Haney] can do whatever he wants. He can fight whoever he wants. He’s in the driver’s seat. Would I want to see that fight? Yes, I’d like to see that fight. I’d like to see Matias get up and do what he wants to do because he ain’t the boogieman anymore.”
Haney’s crown will be meaningless if he’s not going to take advantage of his moment in the spotlight to take on Matias because if he doesn’t, it won’t mean anything. Prograis will swoop in and take the fight that Haney should be and look to become a three-time 140-lb champion.
Somebody is getting knocked out
“They know who he is, and they know what he possesses, and they don’t want that power. They don’t want that heat. Somebody is getting knocked out,” said Tobler on what would happen if Prograis fights Matias.
“I like that fight. Matias is very hungry to prove to people he can bang, and we already know he can. Him and Regis, it’s a hell of a fight. That would sell out an arena,” said Evins.
Tobler makes it clear that fans shouldn’t think for a second that Prograis is washed up after his 12 round decision defeat against Devin. He’s ready to go after the dangerous KO artist Matias and do what Haney won’t do by battling him in the trenches. Prograis won’t run from Matias and make it an unwatchable fight.
“It was sold out. I tried not to look, but from the top of the rafters, it was sold out,” said Tobler about the Chase Arena last Saturday night in San Francisco for Prograis’ fight against Haney. “If I was Haney, I’d fight there all the time.
“The Bay Area came out, and they were wild and crazy. They were calling me all kinds of names, and they were looking for me all week long. They showed up at the press conferences. Those fans, Haney, you’d be crazy if you fought anywhere else. I’d be in that arena every time. I’d sell that b*** out every time.”
It would have been better for Haney if he’d made more effort to entertain his Bay Area fans by doing less moving and more fighting last Saturday night because he was doing the minimum in each round to win. He wasn’t willing to take risks.
“You’d have to say that Haney is the top dog [at 140] because he beat the top dog [Prograis]. That’s the reality. Regis was the #1 140-pounder in the world. He had the top belt, the WBC belt,” said Tobler.
You can’t say that Haney is #1 at 140 just because he beat Prograis because that’s not fair to the many other fighters in the 140-lb division to crown a guy the King of the weight class after just one fight. Imagine saying a team in the NFL is #1 after winning their first game of the season. You’d make a mockery of the league if that’s all it took to be the top team.
If Haney wants to be seen as the best fighter at 140, he must beat these fighters:
- Subriel Matias
- Teofimo Lopez
- Arnold Barboza Jr.
- Richardson Hitchins
- Liam Paro
- Gary Antuanne Russell
- Jose Ramirez
“That fight could have gone either way,” said Tobler about Prograis’ loss in 2019 to Josh Taylor. “Regis almost knocked him out in the twelfth round. I’d put Matias over Teofimo any day.
Prograis will get better
“Matias is crazy. He’s got some screws loose. Those dudes would go head-to-head, and they both may fall at the same time.
“Regis can get better, and that’s why he can become a three-time champion,” said Tobler about his belief that the 34-year-old Prograis can improve after his loss to Haney. “We got work to do. He worked on everything he had to do for the fight, but it was different [than Prograis’ previous bout with Danielito Zorilla.
Can Prograis regain his footing to recapture his WBC title or win one of the other belts? We’ll see, but it’s in his best interest to push for a fight with Matias if Haney slinks from the job. The 35-year-old Prograis isn’t young enough to slowly rebuild himself over the next four years before fighting for a world title again like he did after his previous loss in 2019.
“He will get better, and we will see as the fight goes on. Ryan [Garcia] doesn’t move around the ring,” said Tobler. “Ryan isn’t a Devin Haney. The only one that can move around the ring and has the IQ is Tank, but Ryan can’t move around the ring. Shakur also has a good IQ.
“Ain’t nobody giving up over here [Team Prograis]. You take your lumps like a man and get better, and you get back and do what you got to be to be successful. That’s how we train, and that’s how we’ll always train,” said Tobler.
