_1686861207.jpg)
A second straight hometown headliner could be in store for Devin Haney.
The reigning lineal and unified lightweight champion has teased the Bay Area as a potential landing spot for his targeted challenge of WBC junior welterweight titlist Regis Prograis. The terrific matchup has been in discussion for several months, since both posted decision wins in separate bouts earlier this year.
“Bay Area… December I’m coming,” Haney proclaimed in a social media post Saturday morning.
Tha Boxing Voice reported that the fight is due to headline a December 9 DAZN Pay-Per-View from The Chase Center, home to the NBA’s Golden State Warriors in San Francisco, California. However, BoxingScene.com has confirmed that neither the date, venue nor platform were yet finalized, per multiple parties with intimate knowledge of such talks.
Should the event get finalized, Prograis (29-1, 24KOs) will attempt the second defense of the WBC junior welterweight title he won in an eleventh-round knockout of Jose Zepeda last November 26 in Carson, California.
The two-time and reigning titleholder outpointed Danielito Zorrilla over twelve rounds in an uneven performance on June 25 in his childhood hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana. The fight was the first for the 34-year-old southpaw under a new promotional agreement inked earlier this spring with Matchroom Boxing.
In attendance for the event was Bill Haney, Devin’s father, head trainer and manager who was on site to scout Prograis and “serve a warrant” on behalf of his son.
Haney (30-0, 15KOs) will move up in weight in a bid to become a two-division titlist.
The unbeaten pound-for-pound entrant—who will turn just 25 in November—fully unified the lightweight division in a decision win over then-unbeaten lineal/WBA/IBF/WBO titlist George Kambosos last June 5 on the road in Melbourne, Australia. Haney returned to the city for their October 15 rematch, which he also won by unanimous decision to defend the undisputed championship.
Both fights came as part of a signed co-promotional agreement with Top Rank and DiBella Entertainment.
The final bout under that deal saw Haney outpoint former three-division titlist Vasiliy Lomachenko over twelve rounds on May 20 from MGM Grand Garden Arena in his adopted hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Haney was born in San Francisco and spent his childhood in Oakland before his family relocated to Las Vegas as a teenager. This would mark his first fight in the Bay Area should that part of the deal become finalized. Regardless, all terms and finer points are hoped to be reached in the coming days.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox