On the night of December 9-10 in San Francisco, USA, Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) entered the junior heavyweight league. In this confrontation, he faced WBC champion Regis Prograis (29-2, 24 KOs). Prograis said before the fight that his striking power would be enough to win even if his opponent kept his distance for most of the fight.

As you can see, it wasn’t enough. Not only to knock out your opponent, but also to damage him in some way. Because to do that you have to hit. And Regis still had big problems with that.

Haney didn’t give Prograis any chance. Regis almost didn’t hit

Devin Haney’s career is an incredible phenomenon. Is that why they love him? It’s clear why they don’t like him. He’s not a very interesting boxer. Not being interesting doesn’t mean you’re bad or not competent enough. He’s not interesting at all, he’s boring, he’s too cautious, the show ends for him the moment he steps into the ring.
In general, this is normal. Because it was Devin who risked his head and body. No matter how much money fans demand for the show and how much they say they are paid, only the boxers decide how they treat their bodies. And Haney decided long ago that victories and security were better than physical problems.

At the same time, there was a really brilliant boxer in the opposite corner. Regis Prograis has a strong personality, he performs often, he is not afraid of trade-offs, and his style is quite interesting and unusual. He is also a champion. But it wasn’t him who sold this show, it was precisely the conventionally uninteresting Haney. Devin was the driving force behind ticket sales because the boxing event was in his hometown. But we didn’t go into town to see the champion because we knew more people would come to see Devin because he was a star. Thanks to him, publications were sold more than his rival.

The conflict proved all the above-mentioned facts. And the fact that Haney is a better boxer than Prograis. And the best to boot. And the fact that Devin isn’t a very interesting boxer. Smart, talented, everyone. But it’s not interesting.

Haney spent the entire fight doing what he loves and does best; to meet his opponent, catch him in his mistakes and not let him get close to him. I don’t want this to sound like I don’t care about what Devin did. This type of boxing is a great skill. Using size, skill and speed in this way is truly great boxing.

Moreover, Haney’s moves this time looked sharper and harsher. As in the third round, the opponent fell when he landed a right hand. There was a tipping point. But there was nothing terrible. Devin used his length, quickness and accuracy to catch his opponent in an awkward position. Prograis missed and fell. The takedown is clean but not as difficult as the new champion would like.

Going back to whether Haney’s next performance could be perceived as attrition, that’s not the point. Devin did exactly what was needed to win. And it was still too much for the champion, who hasn’t lost since 2019 and has knocked out four of his five opponents in that time. There is not enough dynamism and panache.

Just like the moment of collapse. It seemed Haney was finally in the mood for active action. He struck with his right hand, then aimed multiple times and he struck. Apparently, there was every reason to believe that the challenger would gain momentum. But the war was on and Haney was still cautious.

Even after the middle of the meeting it became clear that Prograis had almost no chance. Devin was still careful and meticulous, but nothing more. Even when Regis suffered a facial injury and doctors came to check if he had seen anything, Devin still acted calmly and according to the same plan.

On the one hand, this is a good thing. A cool head has saved more than one boxer from defeat. Talking about Prograis, he needed his opponent to believe in himself and move forward. There you can catch a mistake, punch him, knock him out, try to snatch victory in a completely lost conflict.

Haney, on the other hand, could stop any opponent’s attack. He counterattacked and drew with a narrow clinch. He managed to hit and get into range. So what would happen if Devin himself increased the number of attacks? The risks would have increased slightly, but the American could have won ahead of schedule. Be the first to defeat Prograis by knockout. For example, technique. But Devin carried it all to his standard victory. This was Haney’s sixth straight win in his last six games. This time the score is 120-107.

This time, Prograis was hit just 38 times, according to CompuBox stats. That’s two fewer than De Los Santos scored against Shakur. And this is a new anti-record in the entire history of CompuBox.

Alright what now?

Having a few more good fights shouldn’t be a problem for Prograis. He was never a superstar. And that won’t happen anymore. However, the boxer is very smart and there will be enough candidates to fight against him. Vasily Lomachenko’s same old rival, Jemaine Ortiz, said before this fight that Haney would beat Prograis and that he was ready to face Regis next.

It would be an interesting fight. Ortiz won’t run away from Regis like Haney did. Both will definitely have a chance.

Devin is now among the champions of a very interesting category. Of course, everyone wants to fight against Teofimo Lopez, but that won’t happen anytime soon. Teofimo is in talks with Subriel Matias, another champion of the first heavyweight category.

If he returns from his holiday as a champion, it is possible for him to face Rolando Romero. Devin had once confidently defeated him in a debate. Or Ryan Garcia. From where?

And in general there are enough options. The same Arnold Barbosa who wouldn’t be able to compete for a title for years. Why don’t you set up a meeting with Haney and check on Barbosa last? Haney is also a very interesting opponent.

Devin’s team has not given a clear name yet, but the American player is now at a point in his career where all kinds of confrontations are heard. The next one should be the same.