Devin Haney is looking to add another feat to his young career. Besides being the undisputed lightweight world champion, Haney is now actively seeking to become a two-division world champion, as he faces the WBC junior welterweight world champion, Regis Prograis, in Haney’s homecoming in the San Francisco Bay Area, as he will fight Prograis at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, on December 9th.
The bout which is a pay-per-view, is also Haney’s return to Matchroom Boxing, as Haney did a joint deal with Top Rank and DiBella Entertainment to land the George Kambosos Jnr undisputed fight. Haney defeated Kambosos Jnr twice in Australia in 2022 and defeated Vasiliy Lomachenko in 2023 - which was the full extent of his contract.
Haney, who was a free agent prior to this fight, is now fighting on DAZN and Matchroom, the network that built him after he graduated from the ShoBox: The Next Generation platform.
Eddie Hearn, the head of Matchroom Boxing, spoke to ProBox TV News to explain the details around Haney’s current contract, and his future fighting on Matchroom Boxing cards, as well as on DAZN.
“So, this is a one fight [deal],” told Hearn to ProBox TV News. “We have some matching options on him moving forward.”
For Hearn, it seemed to be a victory lap, as he told a nice story of friendship and belief in one another, as Haney respected that Hearn took him seriously when he told him he wanted to be a promoter and have Devin Haney Promotions. Hearn recalls a conversation in which Haney told him that he’d be Matchroom’s first U.S. undisputed world champion. Though that didn’t happen on one of their promoted cards and telecasts, it did happen. Haney has now returned through a bit of ambiguity around the circumstance of whether Haney is still undisputed at lightweight as Teofimo Lopez is widely now not considered an undisputed champion, despite the fact that he was, because Haney had a form of a WBC lightweight title. Prior to this card, Shakur Stevenson will face Edwin De Los Santos on November 16th, which will thus create a dispute in the lightweight champion conversation.
Also, to add fuel to the fire this bout is contested at junior welterweight, and even though Haney said he would return to lightweight - who knows if he will.
Nonetheless, Hearn fondly remembers a conversation he had with Haney and reflects on how they kept their word.
“I think when we first signed him, we kind of had a pact that he’d be our first undisputed world champion in America,” continued Hearn. “Unfortunately, [Haney] had to take another deal to do that, but he always promised me he’d be back.”
Earlier at the media scrum, Hearn confessed that DiBella Entertainment was not keen on the involvement of Matchroom Boxing, which hurt their chances of promoting Haney when he was going toward legacy and his chance at being an undisputed lightweight world champion. So in short, Haney couldn’t become an undisputed champion without signing the deal he did, and the divide in boxing among promoters and entities involved caused the split between Haney and Hearn for the time being.
“He came back, and we work together again,” said Hearn. “I believe win or lose this will be a long-term relationship with Devin Haney. We also represent Regis Prograis, which is quite difficult sometimes when you got two fighters. We have delivered for both guys, now it is over to them.”
