Devin Haney is pretty much the only person Regis Prograis thinks of nowadays. The newly turned 25-year-old has appeared in his dreams, his face is plastered on his heavy bags, and he’s often the first person that comes to mind when he wakes up in the morning. (photo by Ryan Hafey)
The 24-hour news cycle revolving around Haney stems from Prograis’ desire to knock him down a few pegs. Prograis would describe him as flamboyant, aloof, all bark with no bite, and simply can’t wait to punch him in the face on December 9th.
The obsession he has with Haney, however, took a bit of a backseat this weekend.
Like most in the boxing world, Regis Prograis wanted to see how David Benavidez and Demetrius Andrade played out. But while that was the headliner, the ring appearance of Subriel Matias was heavily on the mind of the WBC champ.
Matias goes about his business in a violent way. He isn’t trying to make friends in there, simply put, he enjoys finding out how much punishment a man can actually take.
Shohjahon Ergashev, with muscles protruding from his neck, promised to put Matias through the canvas and take his IBF title before eventually burying him.
Seldom does a fight take place in his division without Prograis keeping tabs on it. And, considering that Matias has constantly called him out, he moved a bit closer to his television set when the two jumped into the ring.
During the first two rounds, Ergashev dominated. Not surprising. Matias often sits back on the ropes, barely moving a muscle, this time was no different. But, like always, things started clicking in the third frame.
For the next four rounds, it was essentially target practice for Matias. If he wanted to land a left hand, he did. If he wanted to break one of Ergashev’s ribs, he did that as well. Finally, with the 31-year-old gasping for air and running out of ideas, things were called off.
Prograis, 34, had seen enough. Of course, he isn’t overlooking Haney, but, he felt compelled to jump on social media to send Matias a date and time for their mega clash.
“Regis Prograis vs Subriel Matias 2024.”
By Hans Themistode