"At 140, we have a new king," Haney said. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news. Yet, it was Haney's performance in his 140-pound debut that may have been virtuoso enough on this night to defeat anyone else on the planet.Ĭan't get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest in the world of combat sports from two of the best in the business. The bout was the main event of a DAZN pay-per-view card and marked Haney's return to Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Sport following a three-fight run with ESPN (and co-promoters Top Rank and DiBella Entertainment), which saw Haney reach P4P acclaim through lightweight conquests of former unified titleholders George Kambosos Jr. All three judges scored it 120-107 for Haney, who dropped Prograis (29-2, 24 KOs) in Round 3 and was simply sublime throughout. The 25-year-old Haney (31-0, 15 KOs), who fights out of Las Vegas, returned to his birthplace of San Francisco on Saturday to capture a second world title in as many divisions with a brilliant shutout of WBC junior welterweight champion Regis Prograis inside a sold out Chase Center. Michael Montero can be found on social media via His podcast “The Neutral Corner” can be seen every Monday on TheRingDigital YouTube channel, and heard on audio podcast platforms around the world.In his first fight at 140 pounds, former undisputed lightweight king Devin Haney took a pound-for-pound sized step forward into stardom. He earned that right with his better-than-expected performance against Davis. He will undoubtedly be back in the ring in a big fight soon. Meanwhile for Cruz, his life has certainly changed. Fans are excited to see Tank fight, he’s a proven ticket seller, but want to see him face the elite. and WBC titleholder Devin Haney, which would crown an undisputed lightweight champion, is very possible for early next year. A fight between Ring Magazine/unified champion George Kambosos Jr. Several of the top lightweights have fought each other recently. The fact is, Davis has yet to face an elite fighter in his prime and at his natural weight. Promoter Floyd Mayweather made a big stink about fans and media “hating” on his protégé earlier this week. Tonight, Davis returned to the lightweight division, where he hadn’t fought since his late TKO win over Yuriorkis Gamboa in 2019. His fight before that was at junior lightweight against Leo Santa Cruz. Earlier this year, he fought Mario Barrios at 140 pounds. It’s difficult to know where exactly to rate Tank he’s become the most frequent weight-jumper in the sport. But Davis was the more accurate puncher in every punching category.Ĭruz entered tonight’s bout rated ninth at lightweight by The Ring, while Davis is currently rated sixth at junior welterweight. Neither man scored with the jab much, as Davis landed 20, compared to just 9 for Cruz. CompuBox credited Davis with landing 133 of 462 total punches (29%) and Cruz 121 of 553 (22%). Punch stats revealed just how competitive this fight was. Photo by Ryan Hafey / Premier Boxing Champions ![]() Many in attendance felt a draw was possible.ĭavis and Cruz made for a hotly contested 12-round lightweight bout. There was nervous tension in Davis’ corner before the scorecards were read. ![]() ![]() Suddenly it felt like Davis could be taking over, but Cruz battled back and did some great work in the championship rounds. The power punches were freezing Cruz at times and limiting his offensive output as well. The southpaw landed several counter uppercuts and hooks that delighted the celebrity fans in attendance. In the middle rounds, Tank stepped up his aggression. Davis meanwhile showed a lot of movement, attempting to set up big counters. Cruz, who replaced original opponent Rolando Romero after he withdrew due to legal issues, was able to land plenty of hard body punches that got Tank’s attention early on. And if the fans want a rematch, I want it.”Ĭruz came out swinging from the opening bell, letting the heavily favored Davis know that he would not be intimidated. I think I maintained the rhythm right from the start to the end of the fight. “Pitbull is always going to be on the attack, always pressuring. “The fans are speaking on who won this fight.” “A star was born tonight,” he said during the post-fight interview. They cheered for him when it was it was his turn on the mic. Photo by Ryan Hafey / PBCĬruz (22-2-1, 15 KOs) had won over the diehard fight fan portion of the crowd inside Staples Center.
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