The exchanges started on X and will soon enter the boxing ring as Devin Haney takes on Regis Prograis at the Chase Centre in San Francisco.
Devin Haney is stepping up in weight for a chance to become a champion across two weight divisions. Younger, unbeaten and oozing confidence in the build-up, Haney is a significant $1.28 favourite to hand Regis Prograis ($4) his first loss since 2019.
It marks as Haney’s debut as a junior welterweight but the move up has been a long time coming and may not be the last.
“It’s been a dream of mine to fight in my hometown. I’m excited for the opportunity to become two-division world champion in the city where it all started.” – Devin Haney
Meanwhile, Prograis is coming of a lacklustre split decision win in his last fight which may be the sign of regression in the older fighter.
With Round 1 already playing out on social media, this fight shapes as a banger to kick off a big December for boxing.
Devin Haney vs Regis Prograis has had the best promo for a fight in a long long time.
— LH (@louishart_) December 6, 2023
Devin Haney
Age: 25
Height: 173cm
Reach: 181cm
Record: 30-0-0, 15 KOs
Haney is a tinkerman in the ring. With only a 50% knockout rate, he doesn’t have the same power as Prograis and others in the division. Haney is out at $9 to win by KO/TKO. Still, he’s difficult to connect on and uses his feet to find angles to land plenty himself.
He dispatched of George Kambosos Jr with relative ease in back-to-back fights before landing a unanimous decision win over Vasyl Lomachenko.
Lomachanko “threw combinations” and “let his hands go” according to the commentator’s ringside, but those combinations tended to land on Haney’s guard more often than he was given credit. As usual, cries of “robbed” rang around social media as Haney’s hand was raised, but that is far from the truth. It was a close fight that could have been scored either way and prepares Haney for Prograis particularly well.
Haney 🇺🇸 v Lomachenko 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/saUTUhDWGg
— jb 🥊 (@BoxingJb) December 1, 2023
Haney is a smart boxer with excellent footwork. As was the case with Lomachenko, he can handle come-forward boxers like Prograis with his footwork and defence. He’s always moving and doesn’t stay in front of his opponent for long.
He likes to fight from distance and his jab is extremely effective. Haney is patient and most dangerous on the counter. A high IQ fighter and with a significant advantage both physically and technically in defence, Haney will likely try to pick Prograis off throughout the fight rather than looking for the big knockout blow.
Regis Prograis
Age: 34
Height: 173cm
Reach: 171cm
Record: 29-1-0, 24 KOs
Prograis won his 140-pound belt last year with an 11th-round stoppage of Jose Zepeda. He connected on a massive left hand to wobble Zepeda before finishing him off. He’s at $7 to do the same against Haney in this one. However, Prograis wasn’t quite as convincing throughout his split decision win over Danielito Zorrilla in his last fight.
He won’t have convinced many boxing fans of his ability to win this one on points either ($8.25).
Prograis threw nearly 200 more punches than Zorrilla for little success. Overall, the 84 combined landed punches were the fewest in a title fight in at least 38 years.
The moment Regis Prograis stopped Jose Zepeda in brutal fashion in round 11 for the WBC title #HaneyPrograis pic.twitter.com/C4wDQMUwz4
— House of Boxing (@eterlastboxing) December 4, 2023
Despite his lacklustre performance against Zorrilla, Prograis has talked a big game ahead of this fight.
“I will not only beat him, but I will beat him up. I will hurt this kid. It’s nothing he can do that’s going to stop me from dominating. It’s going to be a massacre. Again, I will hurt him.” – Regis Prograis
Boxing thrives on matchups and there is a good chance Prograis ends up as the aggressor in this fight as a counter to Haney’s footwork and reach. There are questions about Haney’s effectiveness in close exchanges. It’s an area Prograis can look to capitalise on given the strength in his hands and a relative willingness to take shots in order to throw his best.
Regis Prograis v Devin Haney Boxing Tips
Prograis is the harder puncher. Of that, there is little doubt. He’s rugged and durable. Haney’s lack of power will make it difficult to end the fight early and will provide Prograis with a puncher’s chance throughout.
But this fight is more likely to be determined by feet than hands. Prograis needs to be able to land one on Haney to rock him. Haney is a calculated boxer in defence and a slick counter-puncher. You can see the influence Floyd Mayweather has had on him in the way he moves around the ring with a clear focus on hitting without being hit.
The contrasting styles play into Haney’s hands. He will up-jab his way around the ring using his longer reach while Prograis looks to land the bigger punches. If Prograis gets anything wrong, though, he opens himself up to being caught on the counter.
It may not be the most exciting fight for social media boxing fans who want to see 100 punches per round and an emphatic knockout to finish. But it’s one for the finer details of scoring: clean punching (Haney), effective aggressiveness (Prograis), ring generalship (Haney) and defence (Haney). With all of that in mind, along with Haney moving up in weight and already lacking knockout power, this one looks set to go the distance.
Best Bet METHOD OF VICTORY - DEVIN HANEY POINTS OR DECISION - $1.42*