SAN FRANCISCO – Regis Prograis initially believed Vasiliy Lomachenko did enough to defeat Devin Haney.
Once Prograis was solidified as Haney’s next opponent, though, he went back and watched their lightweight title fight again. That’s when Prograis determined that a draw likely would’ve been the fairest result of their 12-round, 135-pound championship match May 20 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Prograis (29-1, 24 KOs), who will defend his WBC super lightweight title against Haney (30-0, 15 KOs) on Saturday night at Chase Center, understands Haney’s beef with detractors who’ve called his victory “a robbery” because it was a very closely contested bout that was difficult to score.
“At first, honestly, I thought Loma won,” Prograis told BoxingScene.com. “When you kinda rewatch it, you still have to beat the champion. And, for me, I actually asked myself, ‘Did Loma really beat the champion?’ And, you know, maybe he didn’t beat the champion. I thought it probably could’ve been a draw.
“But it was a close fight. Originally, I thought Loma won. I’m not gonna say Loma didn’t win, but when you ask the question, ‘Did he actually beat the champion?,’ I don’t really know. But it was a close fight.”
Judge Dave Moretti credited Haney for winning eight rounds, 116-112. Judges Tim Cheatham and David Sutherland scored seven rounds apiece for the Oakland native, who won 115-113 on their cards.
Prograis thinks Ukraine’s Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs) deserved an immediate rematch. The New Orleans native was pleasantly surprised when Haney decided not only to move up to the 140-pound division for his subsequent bout, but picked Prograis for what figures to amount to a challenging first fight in his new weight class.
“I didn’t think he was gonna come to 140 right then because he had a lotta options,” Prograis said. “I think he just wanted to figure out what was the best option for him. He coulda had a rematch with Loma, he coulda defended one of those belts. I didn’t know if he was actually gonna fight me or not.”
The 12-round bout between Prograis, 34, and Haney, 25, will headline a four-fight DAZN Pay-Per-View show scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) from the home arena of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.
DAZN subscribers can purchase this event for $59.99 through the streaming service’s website or its app. It’ll cost non-subscribers $79.99 to buy Prograis-Haney through cable and satellite operators.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
