Devin Haney has come under the spotlight for his victory over Regis Prograis after piling on 25 pounds in weight over 24 hours.
The WBC super lightweight champion out-weighed Prograis by almost ten pounds in the ring after boiling down to 140 and rehydrating to 165 in a shocking turn of events.
Boxing has gone into meltdown over the unbelievable happening, with many urging the sanctioning bodies to act and revert back to same-day weigh-ins.
Haney has taken advantage of his ability to shed weight and add it back quickly, to the point where he’s dominated many of his bouts.
It must also be noted that “The Dream” held an even more significant advantage over Vasiliy Lomachenko. Many believe he lost that fight, so it’s not a one-sided argument.
Devin Haney gains 25 pounds in a day
From CSAC, #HaneyPrograis Event Weights:
165.0 Haney (up 25lbs from Weigh In Weight)
156.8 Prograis (up 17.8lbs from Weigh In Weight)Full list here: pic.twitter.com/bYRVuVo6Zb
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) December 13, 2023
Reacting to the furor surrounding the stunning weights revealed by Jed Goodman, Haney fought his corner.
“I’ve been doing that same thing for years, just killing myself to make weight. The world said I was pillow-fisted, and I was this & that!
“Now, once I move up and I’m actually healthy you all have got every excuse in the book.”
Haney looked better than usual when weighing in for a lightweight bout. His gaunt appearance has caused headlines many times in the past.
Therefore, adding those five pounds helps him. However, it doesn’t help the other fighters if they cannot hydrate to more than 157, like Prograis.
The same result against Prograis
However, Haney insists the result would have been the same regardless of the weight difference.
“I didn’t beat Regis by throwing my weight around or bullying him. I beat him off skills,” insisted the ex-undisputed titleholder.
He also added that a return to lightweight for a fight with Gervonta Davis won’t occur.
“I will never go back to 135. Get it out of your head.”
Airing his views on the situation, boxing trainer Stephen Edwards stated it was up to the opposing fighter to add clauses on weight into the contract.
Although Edwards says that conversation wouldn’t be needed if the organizations took control of the current scaling system.
“In boxing, everything can be negotiated,” he pointed out. “Drug testing and weigh-in times should not be negotiable.
“Don’t blame the fighters and their teams. We all will take any legal advantage. Blame the system.”
Gervonta Davis deleted a tweet where he blamed Haney’s association with Victor Conte and Snac. That’s despite no proof of any wrongdoing from Snac since entering boxing on the back of Conte’s well-publicized prison sentence.
“Get that Snac s— out of boxing,” said Davis before Haney responded: “Mario Barrios [your former opponent] was working with SNAC too. What’s the problem now?”
The WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBF have a duty of care to the fighters. Furthermore, something has to be done to ensure a nine-pound advantage doesn’t happen in any fight moving forward.
