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Avila Perspective, Chap, 263: Regis Prograis and Devin Haney target San Francisco

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Avila Perspective, Chap, 263: Regis Prograis and Devin Haney target San Francisco

Back in the 60s San Francisco was home to Flower Children, free love and open concerts.

Not today.

Now it’s more cauliflower ears, gentrification and professional fighting.

Welcome to San Francisco and welcome to the battle between WBC super lightweight titlist Regis Prograis (29-1, 24 KOs) and former undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney (30-0, 15 KOs) on Saturday Dec. 9, at the Chase Center.

DAZN pay-per-view will stream the Matchroom Boxing card that includes Ebanie Bridges versus Miyo Yoshida.

It’s been a long time since San Francisco hosted a big-time event like this. Back in the 1890s until the 1950s the Golden Gate city was a leader in prize fighting. Gentleman Jim Corbett, Abe Attell, and Willie Ritchie, among others, were world champions from the city back more than 100 years ago.

I even have a relative who lived and fought in San Francisco from 1915 to 1930 among other cities. It’s good to see the bay city back hosting pugilism.

Prograis and Haney are kind of throwback fighters.

The challenger Haney has that classic smooth boxing style that kind of reminds me of the great Sugar Ray Robinson. He doesn’t have that shocking power that enabled Robinson to dominate the welterweight and middleweight divisions during the 40s and 50s, but he’s smooth.

The champion Prograis hails from New Orleans and kind of reminds me of Aaron Pryor, a beast of the super lightweight division during his heyday in the 70s and 80s. Who can forget Pryor and Alexis Arguello’s two epic battles? Today’s champion has some of those fierce qualities of Pryor.

Mix them together and what will we get?

Prograis, 34, has been put on the back-burner for years after losing a very close battle to Scotland’s Josh Taylor in 2019. No other world titlist wanted to risk facing the native of New Orleans who left due to Hurricane Katrina. He’s fast, fearless, has a good jaw and cracks hard.

“I’m going to hurt that boy,” says Prograis with dead seriousness.

Haney, 25, was born in San Francisco and lived across the bridge in Oakland until the age of 14 when he moved to Las Vegas. Due to his age, he began his pro career in Mexico. Ten of his pro fights took place in cantinas, small arenas and gymnasiums against unknown but dangerous fighters. When he turned 18, he ventured back home and has remained undefeated with his blend of stylistic boxing and athleticism.

“Regis is going to be trying to knock me out and that’s exactly what I need him to be trying to do,” said Haney who seeks to add a super lightweight division title to his resume. “I’m going to be stronger and faster than ever. I’m going to dominate him.”

Throughout the media week, Haney and crew have been badgering and taunting the current champion Prograis. Is that a good idea?

“I’m going to hurt that boy,” Prograis reiterated.

Amanda abandons WBC

Puerto Rico’s Amanda Serrano, the undisputed featherweight world champion tossed aside the WBC featherweight title because the organization refuses to budge on its two-minute rounds for women’s boxing.

“If a sanctioning body doesn’t want to give me and my fellow fighters the choice to fight the same as the men, then I will not be fighting for that sanctioning body,” the seven-division world champion stated.

“The WBC has refused to evolve the sport for equality. So I am relinquishing their title,” said Serrano, the first ever undisputed featherweight world champion.

How many other WBC titlists will follow her lead?

Already Mikaela Mayer has asked for three-minute rounds in her upcoming match with Natasha Jonas. Both publicly said they want three-minute rounds. Will the promoter for BOXXER fulfill their request?

So far, it’s really only been the WBC and various promoters who keep women at two-minute rounds.

Serrano has lit the match.

La Cobra in Long Beach

Super flyweight contender Adelaida “La Cobra” Ruiz (14-0-1) and Mexico’s Mayela Perez (19-26-4) meet eight rounds at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, Calif. on Saturday Dec. 9. The Los Angeles fighter is one of the best kept secrets in pro boxing.

Ruiz is one of those fighters that the elite vividly know about her abilities and take a pass. She is the interim super flyweight titlist, which means she is the top ranked super flyweight without a world title.

PBC on Amazon

Premier Boxing Champions with its abundance of stars such as Jermell Charlo, David Benavidez and Errol Spence Jr. just signed a multi-year deal with Amazon Prime Video to feature its more than 150 fighters on the media platform, it was announced on Thursday, Dec. 7.

Showtime announced last month that it was ending its broadcasts of boxing this year. It had been 37 years and included some of the most historic fights ever witnessed. That has ended.

Amazon stated it will be streaming boxing in 2024.

Fights to Watch

Sat. DAZN pay-per-view 5 p.m. Regis Prograis (29-1) vs Devin Haney (30-0); Ebanie Bridges (9-1) vs Miyo Yoshida (16-4); Andy Cruz (1-0) vs Jovanni Straffon (26-5-1).

Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Robeisy Ramirez (13-1) vs Rafael Espinosa (21-0).

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Ringside at the Cosmo: Pacheco Outpoints Nelson plus Undercard Results

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LAS VEGAS, NV – Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Promotions was at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas tonight for the second half of a DAZN doubleheader that began in Nottingham, England. In the main event, Diego Pacheco, ranked #1 by the WBO at super middleweight, continued his ascent toward a world title with a unanimous decision over Steven Nelson.

Pacheco glides round the ring smoothly whereas Nelson wastes a lot energy with something of a herky-jerky style. However, although Nelson figured to slow down as the fight progressed, he did some of his best work in rounds 11 and 12. Fighting with a cut over his left eye from round four, a cut that periodically reopened, the gritty Nelson fulfilled his promise that he would a fight as if he had everything to lose if he failed to win, but it just wasn’t enough, even after his Omaha homie Terence “Bud” Crawford entered his corner before the last round to give him a pep talk (back home in North Omaha, Nelson runs the B&B (Bud and Bomac) Sports Academy.

All three judges had it 117-111 for Pacheco who mostly fought off his back foot but landed the cleaner punches throughout. A stablemate of David Benavidez and trained by David’s father Jose Benevidez Sr, Pacheco improved to 23-0 (18). It was the first pro loss for the 36-year-old Nelson (20-1).

Semi wind-up

Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz, who as a pro has never fought a match slated for fewer than 10 rounds, had too much class for Hermosillo, Mexico’s rugged Omar Salcido who returned to his corner with a puffy face after the fourth stanza, but won the next round and never stopped trying. The outcome was inevitable even before the final round when Salcido barely made it to the final gun, but the Mexican was far more competitive than many expected.

The Cuban, who was 4-0 vs. Keyshawn Davis in closely-contested bouts as an amateur, advanced his pro record to 5-0 (2), winning by scores by 99-91 and 98-92 twice. Salido, coming off his career-best win, a 9th-round stoppage of former WBA super featherweight title-holder Chris Colbert, falls to 20-2.

Other TV bouts

Ernesto “Tito” Mercado, a 23-year-old super lightweight, aims to become the next world champion from Pomona, California, following in the footsteps of the late Richie Sandoval and Sugar Shane Mosely, and based on his showing tonight against former Beijing Olympian and former two-division title-holder Jose Pedraza, he is well on his way.

After three rounds after what had been a technical fight, Mercado (17-0, 16 KOs) knocked Pedraza off his pins with an overhand right followed by short left hand. Pedraza bounced back and fell on his backside. When he rose on unsteady legs, the bout was waived off. The official time was 2:08 of round four and the fading, 25-year-old Pedraza (29-7-1) was saddled with his third loss in his last four outings.

The 8-round super lightweight clash between Israel Mercado (no relation to “Tito”) and Leonardo Rubalcava was fan-friendly skirmish with many robust exchanges. When the smoke cleared, the verdict was a majority draw. Mercado got the nod on one card (76-74), but was overruled by a pair of 75-75 scores.

Mercado came out strong in the opening round, but suffered a flash knockdown before the round ended. The referee ruled it a slip but was overruled by replay operator Jay Nady and what would have been a 10-9 round for Mercado became a 10-8 round for Rubalcava. Mercado lost another point in round seven when he was penalized for low blows.

The scores were 76-74 for Mercado (11-1-2) and 75-75 twice. The verdict was mildly unpopular with most thinking that Mercado deserved the nod. Reportedly a four-time Mexican amateur champion, Rubalcava (9-0-1) is trained by Robert Garcia.

Also

New Matchroom signee Nishant Dev, a 24-year-old southpaw from India, had an auspicious pro debut (pardon the cliché). Before a beaming Eddie Hearn, Dev stopped Oakland’s Alton Wiggins (1-1-1) in the opening round. The referee waived it off after the second knockdown.

Boxers from India have made large gains at the amateur level in recent years and Matchroom honcho Eddie Hearn anticipates that Dev, a Paris Olympian, will be the first fighter from India to make his mark as a pro.

Undefeated Brooklyn lightweight Harley Mederos, managed by the influential Keith Connolly, scored his seventh knockout in eight tries with a brutal third-round KO of Mexico’s Arturo de Isla.

A left-right combination knocked de Isla (5-3-1) flat on his back. Referee Raul Caiz did not bother to count and several minutes elapsed before the stricken fighter was fit to leave the ring. The official time was 1:27 of round three.

In the opener, Newark junior lightweight Zaquin Moses, a cousin of Shakur Stevenson, improved to 2-0 when his opponent retired on his stool after the opening round.

Photo credit: Melina Pizano / Matchroom

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Najee Lopez Steps up in Class and Wins Impressively at Plant City

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Garry Jonas’ ProBox series returned to its regular home in Plant City, Florida, tonight with a card topped by a 10-round light heavyweight match between fast-rising Najee Lopez and former world title challenger Lenin Castillo. This was considered a step-up fight for the 25-year-old Lopez, an Atlanta-born-fighter of Puerto Rican heritage. Although the 36-year-old Castillo had lost two of his last three heading in, he had gone the distance with Dimitry Bivol and Marcus Browne and been stopped only once (by Callum Smith).

Lopez landed the cleaner punches throughout. Although Castillo seemed unfazed during the first half of the fight, he returned to his corner at the end of round five exhibiting signs of a fractured jaw.

In the next round, Lopez cornered him against the ropes and knocked him through the ropes with a left-right combination. Referee Emil Lombardo could have stopped the fight right there, but he allowed the courageous Castillo to carry on for a bit longer, finally stopping the fight as Castillo’s corner and a Florida commissioner were signaling that it was over.

The official time was 2:36 of round six. Bigger fights await the talented Lopez who improved to 13-0 with his tenth win inside the distance. Castillo declined to 25-7-1.

Co-Feature

In a stinker of a heavyweight fight, Stanley Wright, a paunchy, 34-year-old North Carolina journeyman, scored a big upset with a 10-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Jeremiah Milton.

Wright carried 280 pounds, 100 pounds more than in his pro debut 11 years ago. Although he was undefeated (13-0, 11 KOs), he had never defeated an opponent with a winning record and his last four opponents were a miserable 19-48-2. Moreover, he took the fight on short notice.

What Wright had going for him was fast hands and, in the opening round, he put Milton on the canvas with a straight right hand. From that point, Milton fought tentatively and Wright, looking fatigued as early as the fourth round, fought only in spurts. It seemed doubtful that he could last the distance, but Milton, the subject of a 2021 profile in these pages, was wary of Wright’s power and unable to capitalize. “It’s almost as if Milton is afraid to win,” said ringside commentator Chris Algieri during the ninth stanza when the bout had devolved into a hugfest.

The judges had it 96-93 and 97-92 twice for the victorious Wright who boosted his record to 14-0 without improving his stature.

Also

In the TV opener, a 10-round contest in the junior middleweight division, Najee Lopez stablemate Darrelle Valsaint (12-0, 10 KOs) scored his career-best win with a second-round knockout of 35-year-old Dutch globetrotter Stephen Danyo (23-7-3).

A native Floridian of Haitian descent, the 22-year-old Valsaint was making his eighth start in Plant City. He rocked Danyo with a chopping right hand high on the temple and then, as Danyo slumped forward, applied the exclamation point, a short left uppercut. The official time was 2:17 of round two.

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Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue is Headed to Vegas after KOing Ye Joon Kim

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Japan’s magnificent Naoya Inoue, appearing in his twenty-fourth title fight, scored his 11th straight stoppage tonight while successfully defending his unified super bantamweight title, advancing his record to 29-0 (26 KOs) at the expense of Ye Joon Kim. The match at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena came to an end at the 2:25 mark of round four when U.S. referee Mark Nelson tolled “10” over the brave but overmatched Korean.

Kim, raised in a Seoul orphanage, had a few good moments, but the “Monster” found his rhythm in the third round, leaving Kim with a purplish welt under his left eye. In the next frame, he brought the match to a conclusion, staggering the Korean with a left and then finishing matters with an overhand right that put Kim on the seat of his pants, dazed and wincing in pain.

Kim, who brought a 21-2-2 record, took the fight on 10 days’ notice, replacing Australia’s Sam Goodman who suffered an eye injury in sparring that never healed properly, forcing him to withdraw twice.

Co-promoter Bob Arum, who was in the building, announced that Inoue’s next fight would happen in Las Vegas in the Spring. Speculation centers on Mexico City’s Alan Picasso (31-0-1, 17 KOs) who is ranked #1 by the WBC. However, there’s also speculation that the 31-year-old Inoue may move up to featherweight and seek to win a title in a fifth weight class, in which case a potential opponent is Brandon Figueroa should he defeat former Inoue foe Stephen Fulton next weekend. In “olden days,” this notion would have been dismissed as the Japanese superstar and Figueroa have different promoters, but the arrival of Turki Alalshikh, the sport’s Daddy Warbucks, has changed the dynamic. Tonight, Naoya Inoue made his first start as a brand ambassador for Riyadh Season.

Simmering on the backburner is a megafight with countryman Junto Nakatani, an easy fight to make as Arum has ties to both. However, the powers-that-be would prefer more “marination.”

Inoue has appeared twice in Las Vegas, scoring a seventh-round stoppage of Jason Moloney in October of 2020 at the MGM Bubble and a third-round stoppage of Michael Dasmarinas at the Virgin Hotels in June of 2021.

Semi-wind-up

In a 12-round bout for a regional welterweight title, Jin Sasaki improved to 19-1-1 (17) with a unanimous decision over Shoki Sakai (29-15-3). The scores were 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112.

Also

In a bout in which both contestants were on the canvas, Toshiki Shimomachi (20-1-3) edged out Misaki Hirano (11-2), winning a majority decision. A 28-year-old Osaka southpaw with a fan-friendly style, the lanky Shimomachi, unbeaten in his last 22 starts, competes as a super bantamweight. A match with Inoue may be in his future.

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