Devin Haney was professional no matter what, even if it meant he was killing himself on the scales.
He never planned on sticking around the lightweight division for so long. Haney was merely supposed to grab a title, make a few defenses then make his way up in weight. A funny thing happened though, the opportunities just kept on coming.
Yuriokis Gamboa, Jorge Linares, and Joseph Diaz, all former champions, came knocking on his door. Once he got them out of the way, Haney had the chance to become an undisputed champion. Back-to-back wins over George Kambosos Jr. allowed his dream to come true.
Just when he began looking for his exit plan, Vasiliy Lomachenko stepped up to the plate. Haney (30-0, 15 KOs) simply couldn’t resist the lure of facing a former three-division titlist and future Hall of Famer.
It was a bit more difficult than usual but Haney grabbed the win. He then took a look around the lightweight division before eventually deciding to move up in weight. On December 9th, in San Francisco, Regis Prograis will become Haney’s new target.
The current WBC super lightweight champ isn’t your typical boxer. He finds no joy in staying on the outside and using his jab. Instead, he likes to get up close and punish his opponents. Their screams of pain are like music to his ears.
With only one loss on his record, Haney knows what he’s up against. Prograis, by and large, won’t be a walk in the park. That’s alright, Haney isn’t a fan of the easy road anyway. As for how his showdown against Prograis will play out, Haney, despite being immensely talented, can’t see into the future. With that said, he plans on showing there’s a gigantic gap in skill between the two.
“I will show that there’s levels,” Haney told FightHype.com recently. “He’s good don’t get me wrong, but I’m just on a different level.”