In a new weight class, success remains unwavering.
Devin Haney delivered a masterclass performance on Saturday night at Chase Center in San Francisco, stunning Regis Prograis and securing a resounding victory with a shutout decision to claim Prograis' 140-pound title.
Consistency prevailed as all three judges scored the bout identically, with a unanimous 120-107 in favor of Haney, reflecting a perfect 12 rounds to none. Boxing Junkie's assessment mirrored the judges' unanimous decision.
Although Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) fell short of the predicted knockout, his dominance throughout the match was undeniable.
“I did everything I said I was going to do,” Prograis said. “I went in there and I handicapped him. We knew he was going to come in with a great left hand. My dad came up with a tremendous game plan, as well as my team.
“I did what I said I was going to do.”
Haney dictated the bout by effectively managing the distance. Employing a combination of jabs and nimble footwork, he kept Prograis at a favorable distance, allowing him to dismantle his opponent methodically.
The standout punch for the San Francisco native was his right, demonstrated in Round 3 when it not only sent Prograis to the canvas but also significantly weakened him.
Despite Prograis's tenacity (29-2, 24 KOs), he struggled to close the distance consistently against his taller adversary. This difficulty hindered his ability to land sufficient punches and win rounds.
In the entire 12-round bout, the now-former two-division titleholder managed to connect with only 36 punches, marking the lowest total recorded in CompuBox's history for a fight of this duration.
Prograis, acknowledging the obvious, shared his thoughts after the match.
“That motherf—– is good, better than I thought. I’m not going to lie,” Prograis said.
Haney displayed a stronger performance in this match compared to his previous bout at 135, where he narrowly secured a decision victory over Vasiliy Lomachenko on May 20.
He attributed his improved performance on Saturday to the fact that he didn't face the same weight-cutting challenges, which significantly benefited him.
“Man, it made a tremendous difference,” he said. “You saw the difference in my performances in the Lomachenko fight and this fight. Tremendous difference. I felt so strong. In this camp I was able to recover, relax more, take some days off.
“I feel great. 140 got a new king.”
Now the holder of the WBC title, Haney expressed his intention before the bout to exclusively engage in significant events. In one of the sport's most competitive divisions, he has numerous options.
HE TAMED THE ROUGAROU 👹@Realdevinhaney did not lose a round in a masterclass showcase to win the WBC super lightweight world title.#HaneyPrograis pic.twitter.com/JGRsnxn5Gq
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) December 10, 2023
Among them are fellow titleholders Subriel Matias (IBF), Rolando Romero (WBA), and Teofimo Lopez (WBO). His promoter, Eddie Hearn, mentioned the possibility of a matchup with popular contender Ryan Garcia. Additionally, the presence of Gervonta Davis remains a constant factor to consider.
“We’ve got a guy on the same platform on DAZN. His name is Ryan Garcia,” Hearn said. “For me that’s a huge fight, Ryan Garcia against Devin Haney. Gervonta Davis against Devin Haney. Huge fight. Teofimo Lopez against Devin Haney.
“This is a guy I think will probably beat them all, and he’s going to be around for a long time.”
Anyone who witnessed Haney's performance on Saturday won't be taken aback by any of his actions.