Devin Haney says he’s quickly put on weight faster than he anticipated since signing on for his fight against WBC light welterweight champion Regis Prograis on December 9th, and he says he’s going to be moving up to 147 soon after he conquerors the 140-division.
Given Haney’s popularity, he could become the undisputed champion by the end of 2024 or early 2025. The other three champions at 140 are going to want to fight Haney (30-0, 15 KOs) because of the big paydays they’ll receive.
Unfortunately, by the time he does move up to 147, Terence Crawford & Errol Spence Jr. will have departed the division, and the only money fights available to him would be Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, aging Keith Thurman, and Conor Benn.
First things first. Haney needs to dethrone WBC 140-lb champion Prograis (29-1, 24 KOs) on December 9th on DAZN PPV at the Chase Arena in San Francisco, California.
Although a lot of boxing fans believe the 35-year-old Prograis isn’t the fighter he once was after his performance against Danielito Zorrilla last June, that could just be an off performance against a tricky fighter who fought to survive,
“I remember being the hunter, and now I’m the hunted. I love this position,” said Devin Haney to HOT 97. “I win, and that’s the most important thing. People said Floyd [Mayweather] couldn’t punch, and he’s arguably the best ever,” said Devin when told that many boxing fans he can’t punch.
Fighters want to face Haney now because they view him as vulnerable and someone who would take their career to the next level. He didn’t look good in his last fight against Vasily Lomachenko last May, and he struggled against Joseph ‘JoJo’ Diaz and Jorge Linares.
The only two fights in recent years that Haney looked good was against Australian George Kambosos Jr, who was a nobody until beating Teofimo Lopez in an upset.
“It’s five pounds heavier, and I’ve been at 135 since I was 17,” said Haney. “My body has definitely matured and a lot bigger. So, these five pounds are going to mean a lot. I think my strength and punching power will go up because I’m not depleting myself so much.
“I’m excited to see how my weight cut goes and how I feel come fight night. Of course, it would be hard not to,” said Haney when asked if he ever wonders how a fight between him and Gervonta Davis would play out.”
It’s important that Haney not be weight-drained for this fight because if he’s weak, Prograis will take advantage of the situation by knocking him out or battering him.
“The ultimate goal is to be great at the sport,” said Haney. “So, I got to fight the best fighters in the world and make the fights that people want to see. There are so many big fights out there for me, but to get there, I’ve got to get past the guy I’m fighting next, Regis Prograis, and it’s on.
The fighters Haney needs to beat at 140:
- Regis Prograis
- Ryan Garcia
- Subriel Matias
- Teofimo Lopez
- Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero
Haney will stay at 140 if he can get a fight with Ryan Garcia, even if he’s not one of the belt holders. The money that Devin would make from a fight with Ryan would be huge. However, there’s a chance that Ryan’s career will be in the mud if he faces Teofimo and one or two other fighters first.
“I’m not looking ahead, but I know what’s on the horizon,” said Haney. “I just got to keep winning and beating the guys they put in front of me. My body is definitely maturing and maturing fast.
“135 was hard for me to make, and once I let my body fill out, I gained even more weight than I anticipated. 147 is definitely in the near future, but we’re right here at 140. I want to take over this division, and 147 is definitely next.
“I think all around the board, I’m getting faster, better, stronger because my body has fuel in it. I was depleting myself so much, making the weight.
“I thought I was fast, and I thought I was strong, but now that I’m seeing that my body has everything that it needs, I feel stronger and faster. All around the board, I’m a better fighter,” said Haney.
