By Elliot Worsell
INCREASINGLY it has seemed like the only way to make Devin Haney, the worldโs best lightweight, a bona fide superstar is for him to move through the weights and in doing so put himself in harmโs way. For history would suggest that it is only then, when disadvantaged physically, and going after new goals, fans will be able to look beyond Haneyโs propensity to go 12 rounds and instead respect the skill he displays in disarming and dominating opponents.
For now, until that happens, the reality is this: not since September 2019, when fighting Zaur Abdullaev, has Haney, 30-0 (15), managed to finish a fight inside the scheduled distance. In fact, in the four years following that win he has gone the full course with Alfredo Santiago, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Jorge Linares, Joseph Diaz, George Kambosos (twice), and Vasiliy Lomachenko. All good opponents, of that there is no doubt, yet by virtue of going the distance with them, and with seemingly little interest in winning fights by any other method, Haney has created for himself a reputation as someone more effective than exciting; someone whose bark is louder than his bite; someone whose promotional push begins and ends at the pre-fight press conference.
Last time out, against Lomachenko in May, Haney was in a more compelling and action-packed fight than usual and also, in beating Lomachenko, secured the best win of his career to date. However, there were plenty watching that fight who felt the 12-round decision awarded to Haney was generous in the extreme and that Lomachenko, considered to be slightly past his best, deserved to go home with the victory. That he didnโt get the win is no fault of Haneyโs, of course, but there is certainly a feeling that the Americanโs rise to superstardom, which his promoter is desperate to accelerate, will require more than just the decision victories he has been racking up in recent years.
Enter Regis Prograis, the WBC belt-holder at super-lightweight, whom Haney challenges on Saturday (December 9) in San Francisco. Prograis, while anything but vulnerable, does at least represent a new look and a new obstacle for Haney, the overcoming of which should deliver the California native the kind of acclaim he had been searching for throughout what was a short but successful lightweight reign. Up at a new weight, and having recently announced the relinquishing of all his lightweight belts, Haney is clearly looking to add additional chapters to his legacy and drag himself out of his comfort zone, something we can only applaud.
Moreover, in the form of Prograis, 29-1 (24), he has taken a fight against an opponent who, in contrast to Haney himself, carries a reputation for excitement and thrills and spills. This, for Haney, could be all he requires to bring out the best in him; whether that means matching Prograis and beating him at his own game, or simply using his skills, as he so often does, to defuse the more aggressive and powerful approach of the man in front of him. Either way, however he gets it done, wins over opponents like Prograis at a higher weight will go some way to establishing Haney as the superstar he so badly wants to become. Because without taking the risk and challenging himself in this manner, and without finding opponents who can act as a perfect foil for him, a fighter with a style like Haneyโs, very much an acquired taste, will always find it difficult to live up to the billing of their promoter.
Indeed, an awareness of this is perhaps why Haney and Prograis have been so vocal ahead of this particular fight on Saturday. Their promo video, for instance, which was weeks ago used to announce the bout, was one of the best we have seen produced by any promotional company this calendar year. Not only that, both boxers have continued the back and forth during subsequent press conferences and also online, giving the occasion a superfight feel one could argue it doesnโt necessarily deserve based on form and pedigree.
โIโm going to beat the s*** out of him,โ said Haney. โIโm thankful to be in this position and itโs a dream come true. This is a huge fight for boxing and itโs a big opportunity for me because I have always dreamed of becoming a two-weight world champion. Iโm happy that I can challenge Regis, who is the best at 140 [pounds]. But I will show that Iโm on a different level and that I am the best. Iโm excited for it, and I think the fight is going to be fireworks. Iโm far above him.
โIf you look at the receipts, I called Regis Prograis out before the [Danielito] Zorilla fight. This was the fight I always wanted at 140 if I couldnโt get one of the massive fights at 135. Regis Prograis was the guy who was next in line. Whether he was to look good or not, it didnโt matter to me.โ
The fight to which Haney alludes, Prograis vs. Zorilla, was a fight in which Prograis, despite flooring Zorilla in round three, flattered to deceive. Stuck in first gear for much of it, he allowed his opponent back into the fight, in the end taking the win via split decision after 12 rounds [cards of 118-109 and 117-111 in Prograisโ favour, with a 115-113 card in the favour of Zorilla]. This could merely represent an example of a world-class fighter struggling for motivation and inspiration and in need of a better calibre of opponent to take them to the next level. Or it could represent something else; perhaps regression in Prograis, or his true level.
To give him the benefit of the doubt, though, one only has to look at the kind of level at which Prograis has been competing since pushing Josh Taylor to the wire in 2019. Since then, despite showing he was every bit Taylorโs equal, Prograis has had to sit and watch Taylor test himself against some of the best, all the while languishing in fights against opponents like Juan Heraldez, Ivan Redkach, Tyrone McKenna, Jose Zepeda and the aforementioned Zorilla. Though none of those are necessarily bad fighters, for someone like Prograis, someone who has already proven himself a level above them, there needed to be more and there needed to be better.
In that respect too, then, he will be as motivated by Haney as Haney is by him. After all, now, some four years after narrowly falling short against Taylor in the UK, Prograis, 34, will again have an opponent capable of providing him with that little bit of fear every fighter needs in order to truly maximise their potential and make the most of their talent. Once more, having been in the wilderness for some time, Prograis finds himself playing a high stakes game and, although the one with the belt, knows a win against Haney elevates both his profile and earning potential.
โWe can go back-and-forth but I donโt try to get underneath anyoneโs skin,โ he said. โThatโs not what I do. For me, Iโm going to fight him, and I donโt care what youโve got. Itโs about me and you now. I look at who he is now because thatโs who Iโm fighting. I donโt care about all his past s***. I care about fighting him now and thatโs what Iโm looking forward to. I believe I have the power to take anyone out.
โI also think heโs going to be surprised by my skill. Iโve been working my ass off. Iโve been in LA training and sparring and in Texas doing the same s*** for a long time. Itโs not going to be โskill versus powerโ; itโs going to be โskill versus skillโ. And then I still have power too. I want to show people in this fight my skill.
โThank you, Zorilla. If I would have blasted Zorilla out in two rounds, then I donโt think he [Haney] would have fought me. I really donโt. I had an off night. But it happened and weโre here now, so letโs go on December 9. Iโm going to keep my belt. Iโm not giving it up. I feel like Iโm going to stop him.โ
It is not beyond the realms of possibility that Prograis stops Haney this weekend and indeed if there is to be a stoppage one would imagine Prograis will be its architect. What is more, Prograis is right to highlight his own technical ability and refute the idea that all he brings to this fight is power and aggression, two things Haney, the supposedly quicker and cleaner fighter, will have to counteract with his skill. Because the truth is, Prograis, when at his best, is as crafty a 140-pound fighter as you are likely to find in this day and age; a man full of tricks and traps and an old-school mentality which combines a hunger to win with a hunger to simultaneously satisfy those who pay to watch him perform. He gets this aspect of the game more than most, which is maybe why fans enjoy watching him and why someone like Haney, who is still trying to strike this balance himself, was so keen to pursue a fight against him this year.
Whether what Prograis brings to the ring against Haney is ultimately enough to see him triumph is largely dependent on how (a) Haney manages the move up in weight and (b) how Prograis deals with both the speed of Haney and his jab, a punch he used so brilliantly against George Kambosos in Australia, not once but twice. That factor will be key, as is the case in every Haney fight, and one wonders what Prograis will be able to do to neutralise the Haney jab and ensure it is not crucial to the outcome of the fight. The threat of Prograisโ power will be important, naturally, but so too will his aggression and his ring intelligence if he is to close the distance on Haney and keep him where he wants to keep him. If unable to do this, however, and if a 34-year-old Prograis is not the same Prograis we saw in 2019, it is hard to see anything other than Haney, a man nine years his junior, peppering him from the outside and doing enough to win yet another decision.
On the undercard, meanwhile, undefeated Australian Liam Paro, 23-0 (14), fights Montana Love, 18-1-1 (9), at super-lightweight, and Cuban amateur star Andy Cruz, 1-0 (0), goes for his second pro win against Hector Tanajara, 21-1-1 (6), at lightweight. As well as that, UK-based Australian Ebanie Bridges, 9-1 (4), defends her IBF womenโs bantamweight belt against Miyo Yoshida, 16-4 (0), a Japanese challenger who has lost three of her last five fights.