Devin Haney kept his 0 intact with a dominant performance against Regis Prograis on the 9th of December, 2023, at the Chase Center, San Francisco, California, US. The 25-year-old successfully made the jump to super lightweight and added the WBC to his growing belt collection.
A Future Star
Haney is now 31-0 and is quickly becoming boxing’s next superstar. The Las Vegas resident put on a masterclass and never looked flustered in the fight. He ended up winning a unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the bout 120-107. Haney was a strong pre-fight favorite at Paddy Power boxing, but people were surprised at just how dominant he was.
Haney, at times, seemed to be playing Prograis and was hitting him at will. He dropped Prograis with a nasty right hand, but credit to Prograis, he got to his feet and continued fighting. Unfortunately, it was evident from the early rounds that these two fighters were in totally different leagues. Haney outclassed the 34-year-old when it came to hand and foot speed and punch selection. Prograis struggled to land a glove on Haney throughout the fight and had no answer for Haney’s rangy jab that the 25-year-old kept firing off throughout the contest.
Dominant From The Opening Bell
As soon as the fight started, we saw a clear difference in athletic ability. Prograis, who is a great fighter, looked sluggish compared to Haney, who was bouncing on his toes and moving effortlessly around the ring. In contrast, Prograis couldn't get close to Haney and was often flatfooted.
Prograis got caught lacking the opening minute of round three and dropped him. Haney was feinting Prograis and then caught him leaning in and flat-footed. In a split second, the 25-year-old threw a picture-perfect lead right hand that connected directly to the 34-year-old’s chin. Prograis saw the punch too late and could only slightly brace for impact. Prograis was immediately dropped to the canvas. However, the New Orleans-based fighter quickly recovered and got back to his feet.
Haney has been accused of lacking power in the past. So it was great to see he has one-shot knockdown power. Also, it was incredible he didn't even set the right hand up with a jab. Haney took a perfect short step to get his left foot to the outside and then unleashed the right hand, truly a beautiful punch.
A common criticism of Haney is that he doesn’t let his hands go. He often plays it safe, just staying on the outside, throwing out his jab and pot-shotting opponents. But against Prograis, he started turning up the intensity and letting his hands go.
Haney looked much better in this fight compared to his performance against Lomachenko. Following the bout, Haney said, “You see the difference from the [Vasiliy] Lomachenko fight. I felt so much stronger. In this camp, I was able to recover and relax more, take some off days, and I felt great at 140.”
What’s Next For Devin Haney?
Devin Haney is easily one of the best boxers on the planet and is now starting to break into the mainstream consciousness. The fighter has a growing presence on social media and has been jumping on podcasts to boost his confidence. With a 31-0 record and being just 25 years old, the sky's the limit for Haney, but only if he fights against the big names.
While Haney is undoubtedly very skilled, he lacks knockout power and is unlikely to KO any high-level pro boxers. If you are looking for a fight that is going to end in a knockout, then check out Anthony Joshua’s next match against Otton Wallin. The Joshua vs Wallin betting markets are not predicting this fight going the distance. Haney also doesn’t have star power charisma like some other fighters. If he is going to become the next Mayweather, he needs another dance partner.
Fortunately, there are lots of high-profile fights out there. The next logical fight for Haney is Tank Davis, who has immense star power then if he wants to go for greatness, go up in weight and take on Terrence Crawford, the number 1 pound-for-pound spot!
