I'm very pleased to bring into the podcast today one of my favorite guys to
interview. I've interviewed lots of boxers for a long time Regis program the WBC
Junior Well Delay Champion. Always fun to talk to. Regis. Thank you
for doing this. I appreciate you being here. Dan Man, glad to
be your baby near screen. All right, well, we're here to talk
about a pretty significant fight, certainly a big fight for you, one of
the better fights I think that we've seen on the calendar for the calendar year
of twenty twenty three. You're defending your title for the second time against the
lightweight champion, Devin Haney, who's going to move up and wait, he's
going to challenge you. It'll be December, the night that Chase Center in
San Francisco live on his own pay per view in the United States. All
the lucky folks that don't live out in the United States, they get it
on the Zone as part of their regular subscription package. We'll talk about that
in just a minute, but my first question for you is when you signed
with Mattroom Boxing and Eddie Hearn, and there was a lot of possibilities of
different fights that you could have looked towards if you had signed with a different
promoter. At that time, Mattrim did not have Devin Hainey. He was
still going through his process with his previous promoter. Uh, now you have
this fight. So what was it about it that made you so confident that
that you'd be able to get this matchup? Man? Look Eddie. First
off, Eddie came to me, you know, he came to Houston and
talked to me. That was one of the differences between you know, Todd
Rank and Mattrum. You know, Matt Todd Rank flew me out to Vegas
and they didn't. They flew me on Southwest. And people know with me,
I'm I am kind of boogie, you know I you know, I
fly first class everywhere I go. You don't have to give me a private
jet, but I do fly first class. So they flew me and my
potet. They flew us on Southwest. I didn't really like that. But
then Eddie flew to me in Houston, and you know, Eddie pitched me.
He said, look, this is gonna be the plan. You know,
we're gonna get your It's it's a brief fight deal. He said,
We're gonna, We're gonna, you're gonna get a defense in New Orleans.
First, he already had a date plan lined up and stuff like that.
Then he said Devin Haney's name. Nah. I don't know if he was,
you know, bullshit. I don't know if he was full of shit
or not. But he said Devin. He literally said Devin Haney would be
second. He said, Devin Haney or Ryan, we'll see all something like
that. It'll be a big fight in the second fight. And you know,
it actually happened, and he wasn't yet. Devin wasn't with he was
with Todd Rank at the time, you know, and it all just it
just kind of came true, just like he said it would, and it
is happening right now. So what was it then about Devin compared to any
of the other talented fighters that were already at one hundred and forty pounds that
made you want to go in that direction with him coming up away? Because
I mean, look, if you there was Tiafimo Lopez was there with top
rank Josh Taylor, we would have loved them sure to have a rematch against
him, handing you your only loss a super close fight. Uh, you
know, Josey Ramirez is with top rank. Still that's a fight I'd still
love to see. At some point, you mentioned Ryan's area se So what
was it that made you so sort of like, ah, yeah, Devin
Haney, that's that's gonna be a great competitive was it? Well, it
was just you know, Devin is a devon, is a big name,
you know, but it just wasn't the whole. It was just a whole
just the contract in general, just the whole thing. Because the top rank
deal was a long deal with the Eddie hearn did. It was a shorter
deal, and he promised me, you know, he did promise me of
Devin Hainey. He promised me, like a Ryan go see all Devin Haney
for the second fight. And with the top rank deal, you know,
I think it was I think it was the second fight would have been maybe
like a Ramirez or something like that. You know. So if you if
you compare a Devin Haney or Ryan, go see it to a Ramirez.
You know, it is big on that side. And you know, for
me, I'm still glad that I feel I definitely feel like I made the
right decision. Well, and I watched the news conference that you guys had
with each other that was out in San Francisco a few weeks ago, maybe
a month ago. Uh. I found it striking. Uh. You know
Devin Haney, you know, he likes to talk some smack and that's cool.
You do also, I think that's you know, it's good but not
too severe. But he actually said, and I quote, I'm going to
beat the living shit out of him, meaning he's gonna beat the living shit
out of you. When I heard that, I was a little surprised,
because as excellent of a fighter as Devin Haaney is, is everybody out of
nobody he can't beat. He can't, he can't. He talking about Isaac
Devin. Devin never beat the ship out of anybody. Yeah, he's a
good boxer and stuff like that. But I feel like I, honestly,
I know I'm a better box to him. But I have power, so
you know, I can box, but I can I can hear people really
hard. Devin never beat the ship out of anybody's whole career. You know
who did he beat the ship out of nobody? You know, I can't
wait to y'all see that we had a face off with me and him.
I said, Devin, who who did you even knock out? You never
knocked out anybody? Like he just sat there and smile. He didn't know
what to say. You know, he had you know, he he fall
on the TANKO, he fought camp Bole says he fall Leonora's and he fought
Jojo Diaz. For me, all those fights was you know, he never
beat the shit out of any of those guys, you know, like he
he didn't hurt none of those guys or anything like that. Yeah, he
won, but he boxed for twelve rounds, so he didn't beat the shit
out nobody. So he's definitely not gonna beat the shit out. I'm gonna
I'm gonna hurt Demon. I know I'm gonna hurt Devil, like how Camp
is going right now, what I've been doing just even to SPA partners and
stuff like that. I know I'm gonna I'm gonna hurt Devin, you know
if it goes to a rounds and goes to a rounds. But I'm definitely
gonna hurt Well, you finish my sentence for me, because I was gonna
ask you like he doesn't He's a great boxer, but hasn't really beaten you
know his quote the shit out of anybody. But you've answered that question.
Uh, and what you thought of that comment? The other thing, as
I've noticed, you know, you guys have gone back and forth on your
social media. You went back and forth out of good back and forth out
the press conference brought a little life to things. Uh, you've been talking
a lot of smack. And that's all good, like I said, But
I wonder, you know, and I don't know the I think I kind
of know the answer to this. But is there like legit animosity between you
two guys or is it like, look, you have a lot of steak
both you in this fight. You both have a real desire to win this
fight, so you know, the machismo comes out and you get your hear
you know, get your dander up a little bit. Or is there a
real animosity? I mean it's kind of both. You know, right now,
I can't respect him right now. We enemies right now, you know,
maybe after the fight of before. You know, I've been around him
before, I've been around bit I've been around Devin. You know, we
never been friends or nothing like that, but I've been around him, you
know, say hey and stuff like that. To him. But you know,
that's all. But I don't, you know, I don't really know
them like that. That's not like an I never really hung out with him
before. I just been around him before at some you know, some events
and stuff. But no, like right now, it's no respect that it's
really no respect at all. Like we're going to wall and I want to
hurt this man. That's that's what I want to do. So I don't
respect him. I don't respect the team. I don't respect nobody. That's
just, you know it is. We do have to fight. That's that's
how it has to be. So I know that this fight's taking place,
like I mentioned, in San Francisco city that has not had big time championship
boxing for a very long time. I think you got to go all the
way back to the I guess the early two thousands for a Floyd Mayweather fight
there that took place in San Francisco and certainly not in a big arena.
But and he's from San Francisco, even though he grew up in Las Vegas.
I wonder what are your thoughts about fighting him in his hometown. It's
not even his hometown. That's the thing, you know, he's he's he's
just because he was born somewhere, that doesn't mean it's your hometown. You
know, he was he was raised in Henderson the Bad or something like that,
you know. So I mean that's not as you know, hometown,
I'm not. I'm cool with it. I don't feel like it's no hometown
favorite stuff going on, you know. Like me, I'm comfortable in California.
I trained here, I used to live in California. I won my
I became a two time world champion in California when I fought as the pata
Is from LA and I fought him in La in course, and it's the
same thing. So I'm comfortable. I'm comfortable here, and you know it's
is for me. It's a better place to be here than anywhere else.
I like California. Like I said, I live, I used to live
here. I try I train him, you know, so I'm here for
a long time anyway, So I'm cool with it. So, as I
mentioned, of course, he is the lightweight champion. He's going up to
challenge you for your title at one hundred and forty pounds. So I actually
wondered what was your reaction to having the fight being billed as Hani program,
like they put you in the B side, Like some guys really care about
that. If it was me, I wouldn't really give a shit because I
always say, what's important is who's hand they raised at the end of the
fight. But what are your thoughts about having, you know, taking the
B spot, you know, being it's called called the Haini program. Yeah,
same thing. I don't care. Man. Look listen, I know
he's a you know, he is a bigger anatomy, but I don't care,
you know, like they can like they and do it really well.
My back is against the wall and I have more pressure on me like that,
I actually performed better. So this training, like I said, man,
this training camp has been crazy, Like I it's been long and it's
been hard, and I've been doing like super good and spawing and stuff like
that. So I don't man to answer your question, I don't care about
none of that stuff, you know, B side, A side, none
of that stuff, you know, And at the end of the day,
it's only like the results from the fight that count, and that's the only
thing that matters to me. So I don't care. You can say any
bro, you can say whatever you want, but listen, I'm a buzz
handy ass. Well you mentioned it's been a tough training camp, and I
uh, people who are gonna hear our interview are going to hear it on
an audio, but we're doing a zoom call so I can see you.
And I was, I look at you. It looks like you had a
little bit some bruising around the left either left. It's crazy, man,
this is I went toward rounds to day. It was like literally the last
round and it was like just scratches and stuff like that. But y'all got
a little bruising on my face right now, no problem. But yeah,
but camp been, Yeah, camp been like super smooth man, like just
to a rounds today. I did it really easy, you know, it
wasn't hard, so spar with the guys out here in Keller. I went,
you know, I did like a three puck. I was. I
started a long time ago. I was in Houston training. Then I came
to California for like five weeks and I went back home. I went back
to Texas for about three weeks and I'm here until the rest of the time.
So yeah, man, it's just everything is been going real smooth.
Can I ask you who put that shiner on you? What's what's his name?
We we've been what's his name I've spoiled with to day? Oh Elijah?
What's Elijah less name? Flora, Elijah Flores. I think he is
forty seven or fifty four pounder. Yeah, well, I can respect that
you're giving that guy a little shine. I'm gonna give everybody that shine,
man, no matter what I'm gonna give them, they shine I've been.
I'm for me. I'm just thankful that I get to like these dudes get
to help me, you know, because the West Coast fighters they are different
from where I come from, the South fighters that the West Coast fighters are
different. Day they have you know, these dudes are fast, a lot
of skill even with a lot of power also, So you know, I'm
just glad to you know, I get to work with these guys and you
know, they helped me out like a lot. In your when you won
the title, the vacant title that had been vacated by Jose Ramirez, you
look really sharp. That was last November. You scored an eleventh round knockout
against Jose Zepaida. As you mentioned, just a really good fight, and
you know, you look really sharp. Like I said, your first defense
in June was kind of like the opposite you fought dan Alito Ziria, not
the original opponent that you were supposed to fight, and Regis, you know
you don't bullshit when you talk about stuff. I'm not gonna bullshit you.
You look kind of rough in that fight, eking out the decision. Not
not your best showing. I know you said that after the fight. What
the heck happened in that fight? I just I think it's just a lot
of things piled up, you know, just having a hometown nervousness, just
going back to the walls. I mean, when you have a hometown stuff,
man, you got to deal with so much stuff, just doing things
at once supposed to do. Before the fight, you have fought in New
Orleans before. It wasn't your first rodeo. I thought when I I guess
what when I thought that, it was the same kind of thing that I
thought I fought in July twenty eighteen, I fall but last so yeah,
I mean I stopped Molasko in the eighth round or something like that, But
it was it was kind of like the same thing I had my face looked
like this. I took too many punches. It just wasn't a good performance
at all, you know. I mean I stopped them. That's cool.
People look at that, but it just, you know, it wasn't me.
So, you know, I don't know the New Orleans curse whatever it
is, but yeah, I was just and yeah, it just wasn't a
good performance. And then you know, a couple with you know, he
was a last man to replacement, you know, so we was training for
Leam Powell for the whole time and then he came in three weeks later and
literally he just came just to run around. Yeah, you know, and
of course I'm supposed to do my job and cut them off and do stuff,
but just a lot of stuff going on. Yeah, I didn't know,
I know, I didn't look good. Well to say that, the
folks that would be backing Devin in this fight might say to themselves, if
a Regis program couldn't cut off the ring against Darria, how the heck are
you gonna do it against a boxer like Devin Hainey. Right, I want
them to say that. I want them to say that, you know,
I want everybody to say that you know, I'm this number two time champion.
Of course I know how to cut off the ring. You know,
like I said, it just just that night. It was just off night.
You know. The thing is in boxing, you know, in every
other spot you might have an off night, like you know, a basketball
player might have a off night, but they get to come back. In
boxing, you have an off night that people think that's your identity. No,
it's not my identity. I just had an off night, that's all,
you know. So people look at us all he's done, and he's
this, and that what I mean for me, I embraced it. I
like that. It's cool. I hope that. You know, if they
looking at any fight, look at that fight, you know, and try
to study that, and you know, think I'm gonna be like that now.
Hainy said before that fight occurred that he was already looking your way,
thinking he might want to fight you when he moved up and went from lightweight
to junior walterway before you fought Ziia. But his father, Bill Haney,
who was also his manager or trainer, was ringside for that fight. Do
you feel like the bad performance or the shaky performance however you want to describe
it was a silver lining, because that's you know, whether he said he
wanted to fight or not. What maybe pushed them to really pursue the fight
was thinking, you know what, we just saw the way he performed against
Syria, let's go for it. Do you think it was the overlying to
get you this matchup? Yeah? I definitely, for sure, for sure,
for sure. You know, if I would have went out there and
not zal one or two rounds, they would have came, know what close
to me. I know that. You know, Devin Haney says, people
say things like that all the time, but that really, you know,
that really put the candle on the cake. When at that performance, Bill
was there, he was like, all right, you know, I see
it. You know he was coming a scout, So yeah, I mean,
that's exactly why he was there. That's exactly why he fighted me.
If I would knocked him out quick, this wouldn't even I would have been
fighting my manager. Do either of you guys have a rematch clause in this
fighting? No, No, for either one of you guys. I do
know that one. I don't. I don't, I don't I don't have
I don't need one. I don't know what he is, but I don't
have one. I feel like I don't need one. So, as I
said earlier on, there's this is like a a it's a good matchup.
I think every boxing guy is like, yo, that's a good fight.
Uh. There's been a lot of debate among the diehards that while it's on
a regular The Zone subscription around the world, in the United States, it's
a pay per view, and uh, I just wanted your point of view,
do you. I mean, because a lot of people are like I
subscribe to The Zone for classy fights like this, and now they're putting every
like real big time fight on pay per view. I wondered, what's your
perspective on it. Obviously, you know, you may be able to make
more money potentially if it hits, but maybe a lot less people might see
it. I just wonder where you come down on that sort of back and
forth about this should be a pay per view or it shouldn't be a pay
per view. Well, I mean, I think it is a big fight.
I definitely think it's a big fight as far as pay per view.
You know, I don't run that stuff. You know, that's that's the
business side of people, you know, Eddie An on pay per view.
For me, the only thing I just hope it does good. You know,
hopefully a lot of people see that. I just hope it does good.
Is it is a you know, it is a big fight for boxing,
So you know, I just hope a lot of people don't tune into
it. I want to just wrap up with this. I mean, I
don't want to look too far ahead. Obviously, you got a tough fight
in front of you. Everybody's looking forward to it. Of course, if
you win the fight, I wonder what other big things do you want to
do? You mentioned you don't think there's a rematch clause? Is there some
other opponent that you look towards some of the guys that we just talked about
earlier. Is it the possible of moving up to the welterweight division? Is
it just just putting on a long rain as a junior welterweight champion? What
is? What do you think is? Uh? This is for you down
the road? Well, really, I feel like I'm gonna stay at one
forty my rest of my creer. You know, somebody look up to his
like I always looked up to his marble Hagler say that one sixty his whole
career. You know, I have the discipline to do that. I've been
you know, I've been feeling good. I've been on my diet. I
you know, I trained year round. So I definitely feel like I'm gonna
stay at one forty. And you know, I want all the big fights.
That's that's the only thing I want. I want all the big fights,
if it's big money fights, if it's for the belts, whatever it
is, I just want the big fights. You know, I'm at the
stage in my career. You know, I don't want no you know,
tune up type of fights. I don't want no homecoming type of fights,
none of that stuff. I want all for me, all big fights.
So whatever that means, that's that's just what I want. If it's you
know, and and right now, luckily I'm at the I'm at the weight
right now. Well, it's it is a lot of big fights. You
know, I'm around that one thirty five want forty one forty range, one
forty seven range. And you know, for me, I'm gonna stay at
one one forty my rest of my crib. But you know, you do
have a lot of big names out there. You know, Roally has a
belt, Ta Fema has a belt. Ryan gonna see it. What's his
name, the other IVF champion, multi, Yeah, he has a belt.
So for me, it's it's just you know, all the big fights,
even like a Javonte Davis or something like that. Like just for me,
all all the big fights, that's the only thing that I want,
you know, big, big, big money fights, big name fights,
and you know, just yeah, that's all. And I still want to
see the rams five years ago and Ramerors. Yeah, if it's a for
me, yeah, if it's a big fight, then Romeiro mirror is also.
You know, even if like a Josh hillory match, you know,
I don't I don't know how likely it is because I don't know if he's
gonna stay at one forty with one forty seven. But for me, I
told you what I'm doing. I'm gonna stay at one forty you know the
rest of my curR. And so I plan on keeping my belt and just
defending my belt the rest of my current and maybe hopefully, you know,
become an undisputed champion if the politics allowed. Well, you have a big
fight coming up, Like I said, the beginning of this interview. That's
going to be December the ninth. You're taking on Devin Haney, Regis.
I wish you the best of luck in that matchup. I appreciate you doing
this and thank you so much. Thanks man, that was Thank you you
bet. I'm very pleased to be joined today on the podcast by none other
than the lightweight champion of the world, Devin Haney, who is moving up
in weight to challenge Regis Apprograate for the WBC Junior Walterweight world title December ninth
at the Chase Center in San Francisco, his hometown where he was born,
live on his own pay per view in the United States, diz Owne worldwide.
Devin, Welcome to the show. Thank you so much for doing this.
I appreciate it here, sir, Thank you for having me. I'm
excited as well. My pleasure. So actually, I wanted to start off
with this. We were supposed to do this interview yesterday and I got a
note text message from your wonderful publicist Crystal right before we were supposed to get
on the interview, and she's like, hey, can we reschedule tomorrow?
The Vada testers showed up at the gym to do a drug test on Devon
and then he's got a train. So you know, what have you got
me thinking about that? I mean, you've been a guy that's been committed
to drug testing, I think for quite a long time. Uh, when
you're about to go in to get to a training session and they show up
unexpected, Uh, what is your take on that? I mean, what
is your feeling? You know what? You know what you're in forming?
You sign up on a random I mean, you know, yeah, I
mean it is good. I'm gonna makes me happy knowing that. You know,
I wasn't a big advocate for it. You know, it wasn't like
a common thing, you know, a few years ago. But I was
the one of those, you know, paying for it. You know,
I even out of my pocket to get it done. So you know,
I'm happy to see them come. I'm happy to be tested. I probably
be tested as well. So with the even playing field, as I wrote,
I said, I can't even be mad about having the timing of the
interview get messed up because I'm a strong advocate for drug testing. So if
they're there to test the fighter and it disrupts my interview, schedule for a
little bit. You know what, no problem. So here we are doing
it today. Like I said, I'm looking forward to your fight, and
I wanted to start up with this going back to uh your fight earlier the
year you you had an excellent victory, close victory against Vasilio Muchenko to retain
the undisputed lightweight title. Uh. Of course you became a free agent after
that fight, but you could have got a lot of different routes. You
could have given them a rematch. Perhaps you could have, uh, you
know, have had the mandatory with Usher of course Stevenson. You obviously could
have perhaps contacted the PBC folks to check in and see what kind of availability.
Gervante Davis said that'd be a big fight to you. Fimo was with
todp Rank, who you were with at the time. Uh, you opted
to go and look in the direction of Regis program and move up and wait,
I just and there're all these are all every match I just mentioned would
be a very good fight for the fans, I believe. So I'm just
wondering what was your thought process in pursuing the program fight the way you ultimately
did. Yeah, it was it was a you know, another chance made
to history, but you know, becoming to the business problems all nan dream
of mind and you know which is you know, a chance for that.
So you know I'm going to be great going up the way, going up
the way. You know a lot of people saying I was gonna go out
for a long time, and now I finally have the chance to go up
if you fight the champion, and that's what I'm doing. Did you consider
any of those other fights? And I say that because, like, you
know, if you wanted to go up, certainly Lopez was also a champion
one hundred and forty, the lineal champion, even uh, you know,
just wonder you thought about those other ones. Possibly, Yeah, you know,
we will run out of all our options and uh, you know the
fight that was the easiest to make, what was Regi's programs, and uh
it made the most just for me, you know. Uh, as a
business, you know, to to go get a title and then you know,
go back to the negotiating table and then you know it will be you
know, we have much more leverage making a fight with tp MO Lopez.
So that's a fight you'd like in the future that I take it as you're
saying, yeah, no, that's that's that's one of the of the future,
you know, But like you said, it's it's a lot of big
fights still to be made, you know. It s alot of big names
uh around around miss waiting the class. But just you know, with me
having the title, you know, I got much more leverage. So in
Regis his last fight when he made his first title defense, this will be
his second title defense of this one hundred and forty pounds belt. He you
know, even he's the first admit that he looked pretty pretty poor against Zuria.
He won barely over the summer, and his thought process is sort of
like, maybe that was a silver lining because your father, Bill and your
trainer and your manager was their ringside watching the fight. Regis was not impressive,
and at that point the way Regis says, you know what, that's
what said, Okay, let's go fight Regis because they think I'm a pushover
because I look bad in that fight, and that if he had looked good
and knocked him out in one or two rounds or just looked great, you
know that Devin Haitty would have never fought him. What is your response to
that? Yeah, I mean, that's not true because you know, my
dad went to the fight to watch him, so you know, it wasn't
like he wasn't our radar. You know, we we we always had a
great relationship with Eddie. Eddie heard and you know he went to the fight,
and you know, just because he didn't look good didn't mean that.
You know, he was interested in the fight. I had caught him out
previous to that fight, and and then it just aligned for us to make
the play happen. But I'm not I'm not a guy that you know,
it goes and tries to look for the easy fights. The guys are here
that that that does that, but I'm just not one of them, So
you know that doesn't apply for me. I agree with that. I mean,
the mere fact that you're fighting him, and you fought Loma, and
you went twice to Australia. I think anybody that's questioning that aspect of your
career is sort of kind of crazy. If you ask me, as you
get ready for this fight. You know, I watched the press conference that
you had out in San Francisco when to kick off the promotion. I've seen
your back and forth on social media. I've seen the Zone commercial that's run
a thousand times. There's been some good smack talk between you two guys,
and obviously that's good to sort of pump up the fight. I think I
feel like it's sort of been not over the top trash talk the way some
guys get, but good enough. But I also wonder is it a matter
of that it's for the promotion or or is there serious animosity between you guys.
I get the impression that you're fighting each other, so there has to
be something. But when it's all said and done, you guys are pretty
chill with everybody. I see you guys talk to other fighters and that you
know, everything should be good after the fight. Where do you come down
on that? Yeah, No, it's not no animosity. You know,
at the end of the day in his business, I won't take done if
I personal none, none, nothing that none of these fighters say. You
know, it's it's it's all a sport and I want to go in there
and put on the best it's you know, of my career up to date
and a show to work out great. I am, you know, uh,
And he believed he believes in what he believes in. I believe what
I believe in So it was back and forth, but that's say it really
a lot of people look at the matchup Devin, they say, well,
Devin Hainey, he's just definitely the faster fighter. He's a superior boxer.
He can outbox Regis. Others would look at and say Regis is a much
bigger guy. He's a big, strong puncher. He's a southpaw heavy hitter.
Uh Reis says that he feels like he can also box with you.
Also, what's your take on the style of the fight that will unfold?
Yeah, well that's no life of time. Will he ever, you know,
be able to to box with me. But that's gonna be the show
him on he said for knife, you know, I feel like I do
everything better than him. He does topel like he does everything better than me,
So it makes for a great matchup. He believes in himself. I
believe in myself and it's it's good. But I'm I'm I'm I'm the bigger,
faster and I believe I'm a stronger guy. So I feel like he
he you know, has a big punch, absolutely, but you know,
I to handicap him and to to you know, make a fight going on
behind his back, right, okay? Uh so to make this fight possible,
Uh, you vacated the WBC lightweight title and now you're challenging, of
course for the WBC title in the next way class up. But you're still
the champion in the lightweight division. You hold other belts, I don't know
what's gonna happen those exactly. Well, I'm the champion the recess. So
if I was decided to go back down to one thirty five and then I'll
just get my belt back. So well that's what I was gonna ask you.
So like Shakur won the vacant belt the other day, you're fighting this
fight at one hundred and forty. You still have uh, like I said,
other belts. Do you think you'll whatever happens against program, do you
think that you'll ever fight at lightweight again? Yeah? If it doesn't make
sense, you know, it would have to make sense, you know for
me, you know, financially, it would have to be a massive fight.
But uh yeah, if it made sense, absolutely, you know,
I would, you know, take the sacrifice to go back down. But
other than that, all right, because I was I'm a little surprised to
hear you say that. I don't know if you remember this, but back
when, back when you first signed with Eddie Hern and mattrom it was the
weekend of a big fight. I want to tell you. It was a
Canelo fight in Las Vegas. They did a press conference to announce your signing.
I was at that press conference, and I remember this is even before
you were a lightweight champion. There was already the questions from everybody, and
you and your father spoke about it that you were only going to maybe have
a couple of fights that lightweight and you're gonna go up. Hevn't that press
commerce for like five years? Aguess? Yeah, no, I do remember
that. And it's crazy, you know how long I was able to,
you know, last at one thirty five, you know, fight at the
top level and uh, you know, be victorious. But it's just so
many big fights, so much money I want thirty five that it's hard for
me to leave. And that's why, you know, I was afty about
going to one forty because I wanted to stay and just keep proving myself at
one thirty five. But it was only a matter of time, like I
said, it would only it would have to make a you know, make
a lot of money, make a lot of sense to be able to go
to one thirty five. But other than that, one forties is the division.
That's a fair enough statement. And now I look at one hundred and
thirty five and I would not be able to do this interview without asking you
about everything that's gone on between yourself and Shaquare Stevenson. Yes, you're fighting
Regis, and you guys have had a good back and forth. But he
won your vacant belt the other night. Even he admitted that it was a
bad performance. We don't have to rehash how terrible it was. It was
abysmal fight to watch. Certainly he said he wasn't feeling so great. Whatever,
he was your mandatory, you elected to do this fight, and then
he beat Edwin Delos Santos, and he's been taking a lot of criticism for
that performance. What do you say to the people that say that Devin Heeney
somehow avoided Shaquarze Stevenson, especially coming off that type of showing that he had
the other night. I mean nobody, but you know, coming off of
that type of performance stuff, buddy, whatever, dare even say nothing like
that because the world knew that I set to my offer. And like I
said before, you know, I'm not the type of guy that duncan dies
any fights. You know. I want to make the biggest fights, best
fights happen. Uh So that that's the last thing you know, I ever
would do is duck. But you know, and and Saturday, well Thursday
just proved you know that that right that you know, your core is not
nothing extraordinary. You know, he's who? Who is he to duck?
You know? I just I just be arguably one even one of the best
south paws ever in my last fight. So why would why would I be
duck? Is your court? I listen, I agree with that. I
mean, to me, I looked at it like, hey, you had
the opportunity for two fights that we're both very intriguing for different reasons, and
you can only fight one fight at a time, and you made this decision
to fight Regis, which I don't think anybody can blame you about. I'm
interested in this factor to me, and I you know, because us media
guys do these sorts of things. We start thinking about, like, well,
who's in the top level for in the running for say the fight of
the Year and the Fighter of the Year and the different kind of awards,
and I look down the landscape and I look at the different guys who've done
the business this year. I see Devin Haney has to win over Lomachenko to
retain the title undisputed at one hundred and thirty five. Now you have the
opportunity to win the title at one forty or a title one forty against Regis
Program, who I would say, to most people is like at worst,
like the second best guy in the division right now. Uh. And to
me, that says if you win the fight, and it's you know,
not controversial all that that Devin Haney has stamped themselves as a really solid contender
on the on the certainly among the nominees to be the Fighter of the Year.
Is that something that that you aspire to? Is that important to you?
Yeah? I mean I want to just you know, keep people of
uh, you know, keep eating whoever they put in front of me,
and you know, let the let the awards do what they do, lets
people choose. I don't want to get too drawn up on on you know,
this award and that award and this and that, because I just want
to go in there and put on the best show impossible, you know,
because what's your gat you know, emotionally involves match. You be upset if
you don't win, or you know, you be bad at the person that
did win, or and stuff like that. But the main win is is
inside the ring, and that's my main focus. So this fight is going
to be in San Francisco, where you were born, although you grew up
and I think are more identified, at least from fans as a Las Vegas
guy. Uh, And there hasn't but there hasn't been any kind of major
world championship boxing in San Francisco. Last I can see, it was in
the early two thousands and there was a card that Floyd Mayweather and Manny Paca.
Actually we're both on together in world title fights. And by all accounts,
your fight against Regis is selling well at the gate, a lot of
tickets, a lot of people excited it. What does it mean to you
to go back to a place where you were born to do a fight,
And I'm not sure what connections you still have with San Francisco. Yeah,
I mean this is a dream coming true of mine. You know, my
mom, My mom still lives in San Francisco, So you know, I
saw a lot of family that still lived there and the Bay Area in general.
Mastister lives there. So it's, uh, it's gonna be a big
event for for for the Bay Area. It's something that that people can look
too because it's not much, you know, outside of the episides. We
have the voyage, if you know, we have the A's on which the
I think the A's is leaving now, yeah, they're going to Vegas.
Actually yeah, so we have some teams, but you know they're not really
you know, it's not as it was back in the day. So uh,
now you it's something fresh for the people to come out to and you
know, wear their nice clothes and kids come out and uh, it's it's
it's it's a huge event and it's doing great, so and great and I'm
excited for it now. One of the things I was curious about and when
I asked regis this because I also have interviewed him. Uh, he didn't
really seem quite one hundred percent short, which I kind of found surprising.
I just asked, I said, you know, this is an optional defense
for him? Is there a rematch clause on either side of this? Is
there. So straight up, whoever wins can just go on and do their
business. No, whoever wins wins and which and and if and Uh,
after this fight, are you still with Matchroom? Are you back to being
free agent like and can go to hunt around for whatever the best deal is
after this fight? Uh, I'm back to being a free agent. But
you know, we start to see, we gotta see, you know,
I gotta get past it made focuses just you know, like I said,
going there, putting on this show and then uh seeing what snakes. What
would be the ideal way for this fight to unfold for you? I mean
obviously besides getting the victory, you know, me putting on a master class,
me showing everything in my arsenal at and everything out or read his programs
and coming out victorys. However, he you know, stands it, He
stands it. But I be you know, be able to showcase you know,
uh, every game a little bit of everything and on fight night.
I'm looking forward to fight night. Devin. Thank you very much for doing
this. I greatly appreciate it, and I wish you nothing but the best
of luck come up with this big fight in the summer night yea, sir,
will you be there? You know what, it's unfortunately I will not
be able to make this strip, but you know what, you're gonna get
my money on pay for you because I got to buy it obviously. OA
okay appcire But all right before I look forward to seeing you. Thanks a
lot, Devin, I appreciate it. You have a good rest of the
training camp.