WBC junior welterweight champion Regis ‘Rougarou’ Prograis 29-1 (24) believes he will present the toughest possible test to undisputed lightweight champion Devin ‘The Dream’ Haney 30-0 (15) when they meet at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California on December 9.
“With Devin being undisputed at ’35, I think he had a lot of options,” Prograis told Boxing News.
“You know, he had all the belts and when you have all the belts, you have a lot of different options with what you can do. And obviously he wanted the biggest fight with the biggest amount of money and I think that was with me. I think the biggest amount of money was coming to fight me.”
Southpaw Prograis, 34, of New Orleans became a two-time world champion when he knocked out Jose ‘Chon’ Zepeda 37-4 (28) in the seventh round of their fight for the vacant title last November. He has defended the title once since.
“I’m loving it,” Prograis said. “I feel like this is what I really deserve, that’s all. The main thing I became a champion, lost it, became a two-time champion three years later and I still didn’t get the recognition that I deserve but I feel like this fight here is really going to put me on the map and get me the recognition that I deserve. I love everything about it.”
Critics of the 24-year-old Haney of San Francisco note he has been susceptible to left crosses thrown from the southpaw stance, most noticeably in his last bout against Vasiliy Lomachenko 17-3 (11) in May that he won by close but unanimous decision.
He expects Prograis to use the left hand extensively as his weapon of choice.
“It’s true, I fought guys that were southpaws that hit me with left hands,” Haney told FightHype. “It’s just part of the learning process.
“The left hand that Regis wants to land, of course, that’s what he wants to land. That’s what he’s gonna try to land. That’s for me to take away from him. I want him to throw it. He believes in the left hand, he will die by the left hand.
“I want him to throw the left hand because that’s what’s been strong, that’s what they’ve seen me get hit with the most, more than any punch. So, it’s for me to show him that he can’t hit me with the left hand because that’s what he’s strong at and that’s for me to take away from him.”
Prograis may be the biggest, hardest punching southpaw Haney has ever faced, but he firmly believes he has already proven that he is better than the most skillful lefty on the planet.
“I feel like I just beat the best southpaw in the game,” Haney said. “The best, craftiest guy in the game. It’s only up from here.”
