Devin Haney hoping for ‘The Dream’ performance against Regis Prograis
Regis “Rougarou” Progais (29-1, 24KO) is putting his WBC World super-lightweight title on the line as challenger Devin “The Dream” Haney (30-0, 15KO) moves up from lightweight.
The championship clash, coming out of the Chase Centre, San Fransisco, is scheduled for Saturday, December 9th and will be broadcast live on DAZN, with the main event expected to take place in the early hours of Sunday morning for UK viewers.
Californian Haney, the former undisputed lightweight champ, will be relinquishing his titles at 135lbs as he moves up to 140lbs. Haney is moving outside the lightweight division for the first time in his career, after he cleaned up the category by collecting all four world titles to acheive undisputed status.
Louisianan Prograis won his WBC super-lightweight strap with a stunning knockout victory over Jose Zepeda in his penultimate bout in November 2022. The defending champ used his phenomenal gap-closing ability against Zepeda to claim the vacant belt and will be looking to do the same thing against Haney in his second defence.
The speed at which ‘Rougarou’ can work his way onto the inside is outstanding, and he does so without opening up his chin to counter punching threats, something equally impressive.
Notoriously hard to hit, the champion’s head movement is beautiful, not only does it make an exhausting night for the fighter trying to land on him, but he also utilizes it along with some tricky footwork to aid his gap-closing and angle creation. A slip to the side, a small step forward and all of a sudden Prograis is ready to unleash in range. Pair this with Prograis’ killer knockout power and it’s a risky night for anyone willing to step inside the ring with him. His sole career defeat to Josh Taylor in that epic WBSS final in 2019 in London could not have been any closer.
Haney, on the other hand, is the polar opposite fighter, an out-boxer, with a phenomenal jab and lightning-quick hands and reflexes. He has utilized his reach advantage at lightweight perfectly, working around the outside and setting up fast combinations, also incredibly hard to hit.
Sharing a close bond with Floyd Mayweather Jr., Haney draws comparisons to the undefeated legend, with a slick defence and a seemingly impenetrable Philly shell. While his swit jab earns all the praise, his combination punches are every bit as impressive. What is most exciting about the 24-year-old’s output is how unpredictable he is. He never seems to throw the same combination twice, swapping between the body and head, almost impossible to predict.
The Californian is coming off the back of what is perhaps one of the most controversial decisions in recent boxing history, edging a unanimous decision victory over Vasyl Lomachenko. Haney used his size and strength advantages well against the Ukrainian, starting the fight with some fantastic boxing, utilizing the clinch well, bullying the smaller Loma around the ring. Although he appeared to fizzle out in the later rounds. Regardless, he came away with the victory, however, many worry if jumping up a weight class is the best decision after such a close contest.
Haney’s jab will be his biggest strength coming into this fight, as it has been throughout his career, though if Prograis can get inside, then the challenger could be in for a long night at the 18,000 capacity Chase Centre.
‘Rougarou’ is a monstrous puncher – like the name suggests – with an 83% finishing rate, and questions have been asked about the reliability of Haney’s chin in the past.
Prediction
As long as Haney comes into the fight with a sensible game plan and stays disciplined in the ring, he should be able to come away with a victory.
Prograis is a devastating puncher, but creating openings against a fighter who is hard to hit and clever to clinch whenever he is uncomfortable could prove to be a tricky task.
Haney will likely rehydrate to be the bigger boxer on the night, giving him a huge advantage in the clinch.
Prograis often leads with his backfoot, looking to set traps for his power punches, but this compromises his ability to cut off the ring, and a fighter as elusive as ‘The Dream’ should be able to stay out of trouble for most of the fight.
It won’t be an easy fight for Haney by any means, I predict he will get cauht and hurt throughout the fight, particularly in the later rounds, as he has shown a questionable gas tank at times.
However, with clever movement, a smart clinch game, and a frustrating jab, I think Haney will be able to hold off Prograis for a unanimous decision victory.
An interesting clash of styles, between an inside and outside fighter, December 9th is sure to be a must-watch for fight fans.
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