April 2024 saw one of the biggest upsets in boxing! Former ‘interim’ WBC lightweight champion Ryan Garcia dropped former undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney three times en route to a majority decision victory. However, in the aftermath of the fight, Garcia tested positive for Ostarine and the fight result was eventually turned into a no-contest.

This has created elevated levels of excitement among the masses about a rematch between the career rivals, who have previously fought each other six times in the amateurs. With Garcia’s suspension from boxing slated to be lifted in April, the Haney corner is eager to exact revenge. However, former WBC super lightweight champion Regis Prograis feels Haney should stay away from Garcia. 

Prograis suffered a decisive unanimous decision loss to Devin Haney in December 2023. His efforts to bounce back in October last year against Jack Catterall also proved fruitless, as he secured another unanimous decision loss. Regardless, speaking to YSM Sports Media, the 45-year-old shared his views on the Garcia vs. Haney rematch.

“I’m not going to say he’s shot. I don’t think that, but I don’t think he’s going to beat Ryan. Mentally, he knows he got beat,” Prograis said when asked whether Haney was shot. “He dropped three times and got his a** whipped by Ryan. That’s always going to be there. No matter what they put out there, and no matter what Bill [Haney] says, that’s always going to be in the back of his mind. ‘Damn, he really beat me.’”

“You can say what you want, but he still lost. Yeah, he [Ryan] was wrong. He was using something he shouldn’t have supposed to, but how much did that really count? I don’t think Devin will be able to beat Ryan, but if he fights somebody else, I don’t know.”

Now, Bill Haney seems to have retaliated against Prograis for his comments, accusing him of not paying his coach Evins Tobler for the Prograis-Haney bout. “Regis Prograis, pay Coach Elvins Tolbert his money,” Bill Haney wrote on X. “He sold the fight, worked the fight and if you [weren’t] in shape Devin would have knocked you out, someone you said couldn’t punch.” “If a man does good work he should be paid a good salary. Stop talking and pay an asset to boxing,” Haney concluded.

Tobler himself was the first to respond to the post, hailing Bill Haney for championing his cause. “I was blessed to share the platform with boxing 🥊 top voice of combat trash talk without Haney my name would have been never been mentioned.Thanks to the the Haney family.And the young champion Devine will be back in full force without a doubt.Blessings over this team,” noted Tobler. Meanwhile, the other commenters quickly came alive on the post. 

Fans turn on Bill Haney

One user suggested that Bill’s tweet is only attracting negativity towards him.“Bill, are you just trying to say things that generate negativity towards you & your son ❓ Most know just how long it’s been since Dev KO’d anyone,” wrote the user. Interestingly, Haney’s last knockout came back in September 2019 against Zaur Abdullaev.

Another user bought up Davin’s habit of coming in overweight on fight night. “Devin was 25 pounds heavier than Regis he should’ve knocked him out,” the user wrote. However, Devin was fighting very defensively during that fight last year.

Meanwhile, this user claimed Devin Haney could not knock out anyone even if he wanted to. “Haney can’t knock nobody out. Garcia was t in shape,” the user wrote. For the Ryan Garcia fight, Garcia came in 3.2 lbs heavier, which many have pointed out as the reason Haney’s performance was lacking.