Haney Rehydrated To 165 lbs For His WBC Bout Against Prograis; Tank Davis Says He Cheated
Devin Haney allegedly rehydrated to a staggering 165 pounds for his fight against Regis Prograis.
Much had been said about Haney’s debut at 140, particularly since he had depleted himself at lightweight. The Dream looked comfortable in his fight with Regis Prograis as his power carried through the weight class. He dropped Prograis in the third round and hurt him later in the sixth. The performance showed Haney could be in the ring with one of the biggest punchers at 140. However, according to reports, Haney had an unfair advantage with his rehydration.
Haney’s Rehydration
“Devin Haney weighed in at 165lbs on fight night for his win vs Regis Prograis, according to the California Commission, after successfully making the 140lbs super-lightweight limit at the weigh-in the day before. Prograis weighed 156.8lbs on fight night,” Michael Benson said
While the rehydration was within the limits of the rules, the fact that Haney went up to super middleweight raises questions about his future. He has already ruled out a move back down to 135 pounds to take on Gervonta Davis. The latter accused Haney of cheating after his rehydration to 165. He scrutinised Haney’s relationship with Victor Conte and SNAC. Conte was put in prison for ‘conspiracy to distribute steroids and money laundering,’ in 2005. Since then, he has been against doping but Davis was not happy.
Davis is known for imposing rehydration clauses, which Haney is against. Depending on the fights offered, Haney could move up to 147 comfortably and even 154. Trainer Abel Sanchez was impressed by the American’s performance, as he saw Haney moving up from 140.
Sanchez On Haney
“He [Haney] found out at 140 lbs that he didn’t have to sacrifice. I’m sure he feels the difference in strength and power with the additional five lbs. He’s not having to sacrifice to get down to the 135 lb limit.
“So, give him another seven pounds [to go up to 147], in his mind, he’s going to be that much stronger, and he’s going to be very skilled. It’s going to be difficult for guys to control him, like when he’s weak at 135. When Mayweather moved up, it wasn’t so much the strength, but the experience, talent and ability. So, it could work for Devin. 147 could be a good weight for him,” Sanchez stated
Haney’s Legacy
Nevertheless, this has left question marks over Haney’s win. The fighter was praised for looking much stronger, but the mass discrepancy in weight becomes more evident as a fighter moves up. And yet, Haney is still taking the most significant risks by fighting the best.
In his last fight at 135 pounds, he faced the three-division champion Vasiliy Lomachenko. After already becoming undisputed, Haney did not need to take that risk. While some considered him to have lost the fight, Haney came through with a unanimous decision win.
In addition, Haney could have chosen a tune-up fight at 140 before taking on Prograis, who was a champion, in his first fight at 140. But those risks have put Haney in the conversation for ‘Fighter of the Year.’ But Sanchez felt the boxer fell short in comparison to the other names.
“Benavidez is in the running for me. Inoue is in the running for me. I don’t think Devin had the marquee names to warrant being up there with those guys. Devin sold the product to a certain extent in this fight. He fought a very good fighter, and he controlled it. If you’re going to sell a PPV for $100. Are you going to buy for Devin or are you going to buy with David [Benavidez]? I’m going to buy with David,” Sanchez revealed
