Eddie Hearn, Matchroom Boxing promoter, is already looking past Devin Haney vs Regis Prograis in some regard. While Haney will challenge Prograis for his WBC junior welterweight title, Hearn says he plans on matching the winner of their December 9th fight against Ryan Garcia.
Garcia, who is promoted by Oscar De La Hoya, is scheduled to face Oscar Duarte on December 2nd, and De La Hoya mentioned that he would like to book a fight between Garcia and Teofimo Lopez in February 2024. Given Hearn’s counter to De La Hoya’s Tofimo Lopez plan, Hearn believes a Garcia matchup versus the winner of Haney vs Prograis would have fewer layers for negotiation as all three fighters fight on DAZN, while Teofimo fights on ESPN.
“We’ll make the Ryan Garcia fight,” said Hearn when asked who he wants the Prograis vs. Haney winner to face next. “DAZN knows that the winner of this fight should fight Ryan Garcia. Ryan Garcia is with DAZN, he’s with Golden Boy.”
“That fight is so easy to make right now, and I think whoever wins this fight, if it’s Devin Haney, if it’s Regis Prograis, it’s a February, it’s a March fight in Vegas (or) in Los Angeles against Ryan Garcia, and it’s a massive, massive fight for boxing,” said Hearn.
Looking at the landscape of the 140-pound division, there are no wrong options as long as these men are involved in the biggest fights against each other. For now, rumors will have to be rumors until we learn the outcomes of Haney vs Prograis and Garcia vs Duarte in December.