Two-time and current WBC junior welterweight champion Regis Prograis puts his belt on the line against undefeated challenger Devin Haney in this much-anticipated encounter scheduled for Dec. 9 in San Francisco. The bout was originally set for late October but the sides couldn’t come to an agreement causing Prograis to accuse his opponent of avoiding him. This only added to what should already be a rambunctious bout. Turns out the October date had a pay-per-view event already scheduled thus causing confusion. The sides eventually agreed on a date and venue setting the stage for what should be one of the best fights in recent memory.
Prograis claimed the vacant WBC title last year with an 11th round KO of Jose Zepeda and successfully defended last time out with a split decision over Danielito Zorrilla. Despite holding the strap Prograis is +270 underdog on the early boxing betting line. Haney has won all 30 of his fights claiming the undisputed lightweight crown with a unanimous decision over George Kambosos Jr., who held the WBA, IBF and WBO belts at the time. Haney retained the belts in a rematch with the Aussie and scored a disputed unanimous decision of Vasiliy Lomachenko in May. Fighting for the first time in the 140-pound division, Haney is a big -365 favorite.
Regis Prograis vs. Devin Haney Betting Odds
Regis Prograis +270
Devin Haney -365
The 12-round junior welterweight title bout between champion Regis Prograis ( 29-1, 24 KOs ) and Devin Haney ( 30-0, 15 KOs ) will take place on Saturday, December 9 from Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif. and will be televised on DAZN pay-per-view.
Regis Prograis vs. Devin Haney Fight Preview
It’s not often you see the champ enter a title fight as an underdog. And it’s rare when the odds are as stacked as they are against Prograis. There aren’t many giving Regis a chance with oddsmakers included. There’s a reason why and that’s because the challenger is really not a challenger. In the literal sense, yes, that’s the case. Prograis is the champ and Haney is challenging him for the strap. But Haney is currently a belt holder of his own, or at least he was until deciding to move up to the 140 class.
It took Prograis more than half a decade to become an overnight sensation. Fighting and winning club fights in and around his home state of Louisiana, ‘Rougarou’ won a regional title in 2015 and taking part in the World Boxing Super Series in 2018 he scored a TKO of Kiryl Relikh to win the WBA light welterweight crown. Just six months later Prograis suffered his only career setback relinquishing his belt to Josh Taylor by majority decision.
Three TKO wins after that and Prograis was back in the title discussion. He wasn’t originally on the card but when mandatory challenger Jose Ramirez backed out of a fight for the vacant title, Prograis got the call. And he made the most of it with a 75-31 edge in power punches to earn an 11th round TKO. With 24 of his 29 wins by stoppage, you can see how Prograis is successful. It will be difficult to get a KO punch against Haney, who is elusive in the ring.
Knocking off top contenders in the lightweight division wasn’t enough for Haney, who will fight outside that class for the first time. It might be a jump for most fighters but not for ‘The Dream’, who exudes confidence. He won all the lightweight belts with a convincing decision over Kambosos Jr. and did the same in the rematch four months later.
In what was described as a “thrilling” fight in his second title defense, Haney squared off with former unified lightweight champ Vasiliy Lomachenko winning by unanimous decision. The result was disputed with many feeling Lomachenko did enough to win, but the fight was close countering the argument. Haney is nearly a decade younger than the champ and most would argue that he’s more athletic. He has avoided blows throughout his career and doing that in this fight almost guarantees a win.
Bet Regis Prograis vs. Devin Haney
I think this fight is going to closer than most people think. However, the outcome will also be what most people think. Haney has youth, athleticism and smarts on his side and he knows how to avoid getting hit. With Prograis having a KO/win ratio of 83 percent, it’s wise for Haney to play the long game and he eventually wins this one on the scorecards.
Boxing Odds Pick: Devin Haney -365 / Decision
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