This Saturday former undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney challenges Regis Prograis for the WBC 140-pound title at the Chase Center in San Francisco, the city in which he was born. Ahead of his first fight since moving from the 135-pound division, the pound-for-pound rated 25-year-old discusses Prograis, his fight with Vasiliy Lomachenko, and the next chapter of his career, with Declan Warrington.

After your long-term, high-profile struggles with making the lightweight limit, how are you finding the additional weight?

I feel stronger – people don’t understand how five pounds can make much of a difference. I haven’t done my real weight cut yet – to see how I feel on fight night – but so far, I’m much bigger and stronger; my training sessions are a lot more edgy, and I was able to recover much more this camp, not just training every day to make weight.

What made you vacate your remaining lightweight titles last week?

It was only a matter of time. I’ve been at the weight for 30 fights, you know? That’s unheard of – unless it’s in the heavyweight division we don’t hear about that. So, you know, right now was a time for me making my way into the (140-pound) division, and I got my eyes set on another division after this one. Once I’m victorious in this fight – inshallah – then we could talk about the future. But it was at the point where there was nothing more for me to hold on to the belts for.

Regis Prograis said last week that the timing was an attempt at a mind game…

I mean, Regis Prograis said that I was keeping the belts because I feel like I may lose, and I may go back down, and I have that way to go back down if I lose. So, you know, he’s just saying things right now; his mind is all over the place. It just came to the time where it was only a matter of time, and the time came. You know they’re gonna say something no matter when you vacated them. But that’s off my back now – and I’m on to my new division, my new soon-to-be belt, and new opponents.

Like I said, I’ve been there for 30 fights – more than 30 fights because of my amateur fights. But 30 pro fights. I’ve been at 135 [pounds] since I was 17 years old. Like I said, it’s off my back now – I’m on to different things. [In] the lightweight division I made history.

You also recently said that you would be moving to welterweight after this fight. Why?

Yeah, I mean, I don’t want to just be stuck at 140 [pounds]. There are big fights at 147 – big names at 147 – but it all starts with me being victorious on December 9, which I will be, and after that, then I can tell you my plans. After the fight I’ll tell you my plans.

Your father, trainer and manager Bill attended the junior welterweight title fights between Josh Taylor-Teofimo Lopez and Prograis-Danielito Zorrilla, and you then signed for Matchroom, and to fight Prograis…

Yeah, I mean it was an easy fight to be made. Me and Eddie [Hearn] have a great relationship – great working relationship – and I was a free agent. I did what I did with Top Rank – [I] take care of my business, and we were back to talking with Eddie Hearn. He has Regis Prograis, so it was easy.

It didn’t look like it was just about the promoter – it looked like the opponent influenced you too?

Yeah, I mean, for sure – I wanted to get a title. That way I had leverage if a Teofimo [Lopez] fight was to be made – I wanted to go into the fight with the title, so when negotiating we’re coming in with a title. And, yeah – it’d be much more pie on our side.

Matchroom had a fight that was easy to be made. They were interested in making the fight; Regis [Prograis] was clearly willing to make that fight happen, so that was how my decision was made.

In his most recent bout, Regis Prograis struggled to put a sustained beating on the ever-moving Danielto Zorrilla. Photo / @DAZNBoxing

It was reported that you were in talks with Skills Challenge…

Yeah, there was definitely truth to it. It just didn’t come to fruition. You never know what the future holds, but it didn’t come into fruition.

Did you ever consider giving Vasily Lomachenko a rematch?

Yeah, it definitely crossed my mind – multiple times. I had a talk with my dad and Top Rank about what a rematch would look like, what would the figures be, and like I said, it didn’t add up. It didn’t make sense, you know? I know that it will be a big fight – much bigger than the first one. It was controversy – of course, the second one was going to be bigger, but the numbers didn’t seem to be that much bigger.

(Trainer/pundit/podcaster) Tunde Ajayi said that he expected you to have a rematch because you’ve modelled yourself on Floyd Mayweather and won’t have forgotten that Mayweather had a rematch with Jose Luis Castillo in similar circumstances…

He’s definitely right, but also just with me, being how competitive I am and how I wanna prove people wrong and stuff like that. And, you know – I want to show that I’m this and I’m that. Like I said, it crossed my mind multiple times, and I’ve talked to my dad and Top Rank about what it would look like, but it just didn’t make sense.

I knew it was a close fight but, you know, it’s just boxing – what can you do? That was the guy that they wanted to win – that they picked to win. They booed me the whole time, you know? They – the crowd – went crazy for everything that he did, and I barely got cheers for what I did. It wasn’t a surprise for me [that it led to such controversy].

I haven’t seen it [back since]. I seen like [the] first three or four rounds, but I got caught up and I stopped watching. I was going to go back to it, but I just never went back to it.

Devin Haney did not have an easy time with Vasiliy Lomachenko when they fought for the undisputed lightweight championship on May 20. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)

How good a fighter is Prograis?

We gotta see. I mean, I never shared the ring with him yet. He is world champion, but I just feel like I’m on a different level – I’m levels above him, and that’s for me to show. That’s for me to show the world – show him, show his team, and that’s what I’ll do. You know, to me, he’s another opponent – he’s another name on my resumé, and I will show that.

There’s no secret what he’s good at. He’s a strong puncher. He’s rugged; he’s durable. But it’s for me on December 9 to prove what he’s not good at, and to prove what tools he doesn’t have.

After beating Zorrilla, Prograis spoke about the pressure he felt at fighting in his hometown of New Orleans. Are you feeling similarly ahead of Saturday?

No, I feel no pressure. You know, I trust Allah – I trust God. You know, I have no control. I give Allah all the control and, you know, he prepared me for this moment and this moment came. I’ve been wanting for this moment to come for a long time where I get to go back to fight at home, and you know it’d be a big thing, and now it’s here, It’s because of Allah. So I feel no pressure. I’m excited for it – anxious for it. And you know, I’m prepared very well.

It’s a dream come true [to be fighting in San Francisco]. I’ve always dreamed to be coming back home. What a big event. We’ve done 17,000 tickets so far, so it’s amazing. The people that are supporting it and everything – I’m excited for the fight.

Do you expect to do so regularly?

Yeah, I definitely do. But, you know, once I’m victorious – yeah, we could talk about that. But you know, I definitely want to come back to the Bay [Area], and also want to do a fight in the Middle East as well.

…The Middle East?

Yeah. Saudi Arabia; Dubai; Abu Dhabi; all those places. The Middle East, and in general. I’m a Muslim, and I love to be fighting in front of my people – my Muslim brothers and sisters.

We all know that the money is crazy over there, but I definitely would like to fight over there, just like I’m fighting in San Francisco in front of my people – my day-one fans, family and friends and all that, and the same thing with fighting in front of my Muslim brothers and sisters [in the Middle East].

Do you think Prograis beat Taylor in 2019?

I watched it a long time ago, but from what I remember, no, I don’t think that he won. But it’s not fresh on my mind right now.

You seem likely to represent a difficult fight for him, tactically, given he thrives against come-forward fighters…

Yeah, I mean he has his flaws. He has things that he does. He can be a tricky fighter at times, so we’re prepared for, you know, everything that he does. We’ve done our due diligence, watching him; studying him; studying his habits; and we know what he likes to do and we know what he doesn’t like to do.

Devin Haney, the undisputed lightweight champion at the time, poses with dad Bill Haney during the grand arrivals ahead of his defense against Lomachenko at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)

Prograis said he believes Eddie Hearn wants you to beat him…

I mean, Eddie can want whoever he wants to win. Eddie cannot fight for me. Eddie cannot fight for him. His coach [Bobby Benton] can’t fight for him. My coach can’t fight for me. My dad can’t fight for me; his dad can’t fight for him. So anybody can have their own opinion or how they feel. When we get in that squared circle, then we’ll battle it out, and the better man will win on that night.

I don’t think about [which of us Matchroom might favor]. At the end of the day, this is business. I’m going in there to win another world title in another division. I’m not thinking about who Eddie [Hearn] likes more – that’s immature and that’s childish. I’m going there to win and show who’s the best.

I like [Hearn]. He’s a friend of mine. Business is business at the end of the day. Whether they like him or not. He does great business. He made me a lot of money; he believed in me in the beginning stages, and here we are again, back together.

You were the undisputed lightweight champion when Matchroom signed Cuba’s Andy Cruz, and Hearn said he believed Cruz was already capable of beating any 135-pound fighter in the world…

I didn’t know that. I guess my main focus is Regis Prograis – beating Regis Prograis. Andy Cruz is on the undercard. That’s where he’s at, and I’m at where I’m at right now. You know – former undisputed champion. We’re talking about a guy with two fights, or if that – maybe three, I’m not even sure [Cruz has fought only once as a professional, when he outpointed Juan Carlos Burgos in July]. I like Andy – I respect him – but, you know, I’m where I’m at for a reason.

Cuban amateur star Andy Cruz, celebrating pro debut win over Juan Carlos Burgos on July 15, 2023, is not on Haney’s radar – yet. Photo by Ed Mulholland/Matchroom

As so recent an undisputed champion, how did it make you feel when you saw Terence Crawford stripped of his IBF welterweight title?

Yeah, I don’t know how they’re like – with negotiations and the deadlines. I don’t know. They give you deadlines and things like that, so you know, I didn’t really look too deep into it. I don’t know much about it.

How is your grandmother Renee, and has her condition affected your preparations?

She has cancer. This is her second time with it, so she’s a fighter – she’s a Haney. So she will fight. My grandma is doing so much better. Thank you for asking me about that. She’s doing so much better. A few weeks ago she was going through it, and it was looking rough, but we prayed on it. I thank Allah for allowing her to be here with us – still allowing her to be strong enough to come to the fight, and she’ll be at the fight. So, I’m excited for that. Thank you for asking.

She’s been sick for quite a while now. She’s been sick for a very long time, but I’m happy. She’s here; she didn’t pass away, or nothing like that. So, you know, it’s not nothing to be down about, because she’s still here with us.

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