Prograis: Haneys knew how to get in my head; it worked to perfection

by Keith Idec

Regis Prograis became consumed with the wrong things toward the end of the over-the-top promotion of his fight with Devin Haney.

The former WBA/WBC 140-pound champion began to focus on what he would say to Haney and his father/manager/trainer, Bill Haney, when they talked trash during press events before their 12-round bout last December 9 at Chase Center in San Francisco. Prograis was also on edge because he felt Devin Haney would try to shove him at their weigh-in, the way Haney pushed Vasiliy Lomachenko the day before they fought in May 2023.

If that had happened, Prograis suspects their fight would’ve been postponed based on his physical response to that type of disrespect. The New Orleans native took offense, too, to Bill Haney suggesting he was “scared” of the former fully unified lightweight champion, which enraged Prograis and made him want to hurt Haney badly during their DAZN Pay-Per-View main event.

Prograis admits he was a mental mess by the time he entered the ring that night. The Katy, Texas resident credits Devin Haney for fighting as well as he did, but also Bill Haney for getting him off his game.

“I think it was just mental warfare,” Prograis told Boxing News in advance of his fight with British southpaw Jack Catterall on Saturday night in Manchester, England. “I feel like they knew how to get in my head. That’s what they did, and it worked to perfection.”

Haney’s execution of his gameplan, coupled with Prograis’ poor mindset, led to a completely imperfect performance from a powerful southpaw who was convinced he would knock Haney out. Haney (31-0, 15 KOs, 1 NC) even dropped Prograis during the third round of a fight the Oakland native won by shutout, 120-107 apiece, on the cards of judges Rey Danesco, Mike Ross and Fernando Villarreal.

“I felt like I wanted to hurt him so bad,” Prograis recalled. “When we were doing the weigh-in and I was like walking him off stage and stuff like that, I just kinda lost it. I wanted to hurt everybody on that side as much as I can. They was gettin’ on my nerves and stuff like that. Every fight that was like that, it was mental warfare. Josh Taylor kinda got in my head a little bit. Yeah, we went at it, but you know, he got in my head a little bit. And [Danielito] Zorrilla got in my head a little bit. And Devin and Bill and them, they definitely got in my head.”

It took him a lot longer than one might expect from an experienced former world champion, but the 35-year-old Prograis has finally learned to avoid getting distracted by anything an opponent says or does before a fight.

“Now I know it’s just a sport,” Prograis said. “Let ‘em talk, let ‘em say whatever they want to. Now my head is mentally free from that. You can say whatever you want about me. You can say whatever you want about my family – anything. Now it’s like I have fun in boxing. I’m looking great in sparring and it’s just fun for me. It’s not about going out there and trying to kill your opponent. I’m getting back to that – just going out there and having my fun and, of course, just not letting anybody get in my head no more.”

DAZN will stream the 12-round bout between Chorley’s Catterall (29-1, 13 KOs) and Prograis (29-2, 24 KOs) as its main event from Co-op Live Arena. Undercard coverage is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. GMT (2 p.m. ET).