One of the most hotly-anticipated fights of 2023 kicks off at Chase Centre in San Francisco, when Devin Haney moves up in weight to challenge Regis Prograis for the WBC super lightweight championship on December 9.
Wait! If Haney is the challenger, then why is it Haney vs. Prograis? Indeed, it’s Haney, the A-side vs. Prograis, the B-side. It’s Haney on the left and Prograis on the right. And on fight night, fans can expect Haney to walk to the ring second and be introduced second.
WATCH: Regis Prograis vs. Devin Haney, live on DAZN
This kind of thing has been happening in boxing for a long time and a lot of old-school fight fans don’t appreciate it. However, the person who will appreciate it even less is Prograis, who feels disrespected by this breaking of tradition.
“Since my last fight they mentioned Devin’s name and that’s the only person I’ve had on my mind,” said the champion. “I will not only beat him, but I will beat him up. I will hurt this kid. [There’s] nothing he can do that’s going to stop me from dominating. It’s going to be a massacre. Again, I will hurt him.”
Why is Devin Haney the A-side against Prograis?
In June 2022, Haney scored a 12-round unanimous decision over Australian boxer-brawler George Kambosos Jr. to become the undisputed lightweight champion of the world.
This was the first time any fighter had achieved that distinction at 135 pounds since the great Pernell Whitaker in the early 1990s. As a result of the accomplishment, and an equally dominating rematch win over Kambosos, the 25-year-old Haney became a fixture on many pound-for-pound lists.
In May, Haney scored a razor-thin unanimous decision over former champ Vasiliy Lomachenko. While opinions varied on the scoring of that bout, Haney retained his championship and his status as a top star in the sport.
While Prograis has had some excellent wins in his career and is unquestionably an elite-level fighter, he is viewed as being a step behind Haney in terms of star power.
What world title does Devin Haney hold?
When Haney made the decision to challenge Regis Prograis for the WBC super lightweight title, the governing declared their lightweight title vacant and named Haney a “champion in recess”.
Keeping it real, that’s just a nice way of saying Haney was stripped of the WBC lightweight title. Since that time, pound-for-pound standout Shakur Stevenson has claimed this championship courtesy of a unanimous decision win over Edwin De Los Santos.
For now, Haney still holds IBF, WBA, WBO and Ring Magazine lightweight titles. There are very few fans and experts who expect to see “The Dream” back at 135 pounds if he overcomes Prograis.
WATCH: Regis Prograis vs. Devin Haney, live on DAZN
Who did Regis Prograis beat to become world champion?
Prograis actually won his first world championship, the WBA super lightweight title, when he stopped tough Belarussian fighter Kiryl Relikh in April 2019.
Six months later, in the World Boxing Super Series final, the New Orleans-born Prograis would lose that belt to Scotland's Josh Taylor following an epic fight in London.
Long periods of inactivity followed, but Prograis became a two-time world champion at the expense of hard-hitting brawler Jose Zepeda in November 2022. Prograis produced a masterful display and scored an 11th-round knockout to win the WBC super lightweight title he still holds.