Devin Haney is set for a thrilling homecoming in the Bay Area as he embarks on a quest to become a two-division champion. Scheduled for December 9th at the Chase Center in San Francisco, the battle will see Haney take on WBC junior welterweight champion Regis Prograis, with the Chase Center, home to the Golden State Warriors.
Originally planned for October 28th in Las Vegas, the Prograis-Haney showdown will now be available for streaming on DAZN pay-per-view, as per insider sources. At 24 years old, Haney, the undisputed lightweight champion, is making his debut at the 140-pound weight class as he ventures into uncharted territory. Haney, who is ranked No. 8 pound-for-pound by many, retained his four 135-pound titles by securing a unanimous decision victory over future Hall of Famer Vasiliy Lomachenko in May.
The upcoming bout marks the culmination of Haney's three-fight contract with Top Rank. Subsequently, Haney (30-0, 15 KOs) is returning to Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing, which has promoted six of his previous fights on DAZN.
Haney initially joined Top Rank after defeating Joseph Diaz Jr. with the goal of pursuing a showdown with George Kambosos in Australia for the undisputed lightweight championship. After securing a victory over Kambosos in June 2022, Haney continued his dominance by defeating the Australian boxer once more in Melbourne via decision in October.
Haney's career reached new heights with his pay-per-view headline debut, securing a career-best win in a thrilling bout against Lomachenko. His upcoming 140-pound debut presents a formidable challenge in the form of Regis Prograis, a dangerous southpaw puncher ranked No. 3 in the junior welterweight division by ESPN. Prograis, a 34-year-old from New Orleans, achieved two-time champion status at 140 pounds with an 11th-round KO of Jose Zepeda in November. Following this victory, Prograis (29-1, 24 KOs) signed a three-fight deal with Matchroom Boxing and successfully defended his title with a split decision victory over Danielito Zorrilla in a homecoming fight.
Prograis is now stepping up for the most significant fight of his career, aiming to overcome his sole professional defeat, which occurred in a title unification bout against Josh Taylor via majority decision in London in October 2019. Prograis bounced back with four consecutive TKO victories.
A win against Prograis could catapult Haney into contention for Fighter of the Year honors. While Haney still holds the WBA, IBF, and WBO titles at 135 pounds, he has been named champion in recess by the WBC. Sources have indicated that Shakur Stevenson and Frank Martin were slated to compete for the vacant WBC title, but Martin has reportedly withdrawn from the fight, leaving the division in a state of uncertainty.