“I Was There in Those Years”: Former Boxing Commission President Steps in to Save Devin Haney of Regis Prograis ‘Loss and Bribe’ Accusations

In his first fight at the junior Welterweight limit, Devin Haney opted for a challenging opponent instead of a safer option. The undefeated and undisputed Lightweight champion willingly chose a strong southpaw. He will be taking on Regis Prograis, whom he considers the most formidable fighter in the 140-pound division.

Adding a twist to the story, Prograis has now alleged that Haney had bribed someone to erase a loss from his early career record. This happened before the press conference to unveil their junior Welterweight title fight scheduled for December 2. According to Prograis, the incident occurred when he was gaining experience by predominantly fighting in Mexico for the initial two years of his career. The ex-president of Tijuana Boxing Commission, Juan Carlos Pelayo has now come to his defence.

Juan Carlos Pelayo calls out untruthful claims by Regis Prograis

Pelayo was the president of the commission during the time that Haney fought there. Debuting professionally in Tijuana, Haney never stepped into the ring in any other city in Mexico. The first 10 fights of Haney’s career were fought in the city and Pelayo was there to witness it all.

Going by Pelayo, Haney did not make any loss for him to bribe and cover it up in his record. He always won fair and square. “I was personally there at least in 9 of those fights, and he never lost a fight. There was an opponent who made a good fight, but (Haney) didn’t lose. One or two fighters did reasonably well against him, but he was a superior fighter and he always managed to win”.

Then why is Prograis making such a claim? The ex-president condemns the ugly manner in which the boxer has decided to go about the promotions. The need to stir up a controversy without any truthful base annoys Pelayo who has seen Haney as a young fighter, eager to grow and learn in Tijuana.

Did Devin Haney choose Prograis based on his last performance?

Prograis thinks that his lacklustre performance in a June title defence against Danielito Zorrilla motivated Haney to eagerly accept the fight. Despite dropping Zorrilla, Prograis narrowly won by split decision. Both fighters landed only 42 punches each in their 12-round bout.

The 34-year-old Prograis anticipates engaging in lively banter with Haney during their buildup to the fight. Regardless, Prograis has lauded the Lightweight world champion for the step up.

Read More: “Only a Dumba** Would Believe…”: Devin Haney Fires Back at Regis Prograis for Questioning His Undefeated Record While Making Huge Claim

While boxers throwing shade and verbal jabs at each other before an upcoming match is common, resorting to making false claims might take it a bit too far. Though it has not been confirmed whether the claims hold any truth, such an allegation holds the power to hamper the boxer’s image and the trust of his fans. How much truth do you think these allegations hold? We would love to hear your views on it.

Watch This Story: The Devin Haney Regis Prograis Beef