Devin Haney Overpowers Regis Prograis To Win The WBC Junior Welterweight Title

Devin Haney won every round on his way to dominating Regis Prograis to become the new WBC junior welterweight champion.

Before the fight, there were talks over whether Haney could take a punch at 140. Prograis had stopped 24 opponents in his 29 wins. However, Prograis had no answer to Haney’s superior speed, footwork and jab. Haney’s jab was on point in the early rounds as he set up a counter right hand in the first. Once again, the right hand proved effective, with the Dream landing in the second as Prograis was immediately chasing the fight.

Regis paid the price in the third. After briefly connecting on Haney’s head with a right hook, the ‘Dream’ stepped in behind his right hand to send Regis to the canvas. The alarm bells were ringing, and there were 50 seconds left in the round. Prograis composed himself to connect with a left of his own. But in truth, Prograis appeared a beaten man. The knockdown was his second in two fights, as shades of the Danielito Zorrilla performance showed.

Haney Drops Prograis

At the midway point, Haney had build up a significant lead. The Dream pressed the action with another right hand straight down the middle to send Prograis moving backwards. Although the fighter stayed on his feet, Prograis’ expression showed a man who was devoid of confidence.

Haney’s Right Hand

As the fight progressed, Prograis simply could not cut off the ring. With the fighter being out of ideas, Haney simply remained composed in the last round to avoid engaging too much on his way to a win on the scorecards: 120-107, 120-107 and 120-107.

Haney became a two-weight world champion following his feats at 135. Moving forward, a unification against Teofimo Lopez, Subriel Matias or Rolando Romero could follow. Meanwhile, a super fight with Ryan Garcia may follow. In contrast, Prograis’ chances of getting more mega fights have been damaged. And at the age of 34, he faces a tall order to get back to the top of the division.

Post-Fight Comments

“I did everything I said I was gonna do. I took (his left hand) away. Occasionally, I went into it to make him throw it and I’d counter it. Other than that, he tipped his left hand off. I hit him with a sharp right hand. I knew he had a habit and we capitalized off his habit of leaning in. At times, I wanted to go (for the knockout) and hit him with big shots, but my dad said, ‘Stay focused, stick to the game plan,”Haney

“That m***er****** good, I’m not gonna lie, he’s better than what I thought. I’m gonna give him credit. We still keep the same energy. I say what I mean, but I’m gonna tell the truth, Devin Haney is better than I thought, he is. His feet are faster, he’s quicker than I thought he was. I couldn’t seem to get to him. That’s all. He was quick. His power did surprise me. He does have power. It’s not a one-punch type of shot, but he’s quick. It’s the shot you don’t see. That’s the kind of power he has,” Prograis

Full Results

Devin Haney def. Regis Prograis via a unanimous decision: 120-107, 120-107, 120-107 – Super Lightweight

Liam Paro def. Montana Love via a sixth-round TKO 6 – Super Lightweight

Miyo Yoshida def. Ebanie Bridges via a unanimous decision: 99-91, 99-91, 97-93 – bantamweight

Andy Cruz def. Jovanni Straffon via a third-round TKO – Lightweight

Amari Jones def. Quilisto Madera via a fifth-round KO – Super Welterweight

Beatriz Ferreira def. Destiny Jones via an eighth-round KO – Super Featherweight

Shamar Canal def. Jose Antonio Meza via a unanimous decision: 60-53, 60-53, 60-53 – Super Featherweight

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