Ninth of December in San Fran, airing live on DAZN. WBC super lightweight title at stake, Prograis' second defense. Haney is the undisputed lightweight champion but vacating all four belts for this challenge at 140lbs. Officially, the champion has one professional loss (via MD, to Josh Taylor, in 2019) and the challenger has none. Opinions vary as to how accurately the records are reflection of reality, however. Without editorializing on them, here are the facts: Contingents of fans argue that each man ought to have anywhere between zero and two defeats on their ledgers. There are those who disagree with the result of either one's most recent victory (a UD over Vasyl Lomachenko in May for Haney, and SD over Daniel Zorilla in June for Prograis). So too, will you find some who believe Prograis could have gotten the nod over Taylor - and there is a persistent rumor that Haney's team cooked the books and paid to have a loss to Hector Jesús "Gunder Guadana" García Montes in Tijuana in 2017 overturned and fudged into a W. Short clips of that bout exist online, but to my knowledge footage in entirety or showing the reading of scorecards has yet to be unearthed. The incumbent southpaw is 34 years old. The upjumped 135lb king is a full decade his junior and fights orthodox, with a four inch reach advantage despite being exactly the same height. They have fought precisely the same number of professional contests, but with disparate KO percentages: Haney at just 50% with 15, and Prograis with over 82% at 24.
Possibly... and if he does get the nod, even controversially, he'll get beaucoup flowers - whereas the Werewolf, if he devours Lil' Red Running & Clinching Hood and wins by stoppage, will face a baked in barrier to being fully credited for it. "Oh, bigger guy beat a smaller champ moving up" - even with being ten years older than an undefeated prime 24 year old.
I'm not like other posters on here who want to give certain fighters partial credit, I'll give prograis full credit if he can pull it off.
And likewise, if Devin "whoops his ass" like he claims, you won't hear me whining that Prograis is shot or anything. (unless he's very clearly fallen off from his recent past form)
Haney isn't that elusive, Haney doesn't hit hard enough to get the respect of Prograis, Prograis will walk right through him. This might be Bud-Spence level brutal.
Exactly how I see it, unless Haney has more than he showed against Loma, Rougarou hits hard, and unless Haney shows some dog, I think Regis stops him 9-12
I voted Haney on points because Prograis will be robbed by the judges after actually winning by 2 or 3 round. Just like the Loma fight!
My initial thoughts were Haney on points, just cause he’s a spoiler, jab, hug, jab, hug, but Programs isn’t a small dude, and I think he can have some success if he gets that overhand left going.
I would hope for this, but I think Haney flat outruns him while landing the occasional jab and wins by stinkout MD. When the decision is announced he'll jump up on the cornerpost and pound his chest like he just KO'd Sylvester Stallone as the 3 people that haven't left yet throw what's left of the ice in thier cups at him.
I'd be thrilled if that's the way it actually works out... ...but the realist in me recognizes that Haney is a protected fighter. The ref will be breaking this up all night. So Haney by UD is my guess.