Haney beat Prograis by unanimous decision in San Francisco back in December 2019. The fight saw Haney drop Prograis in the third round. Haney had just become undisputed at lightweight before moving up to super-lightweight for that bout.
Four months later, Haney faced Garcia in a fight that turned heads. Garcia scored several knockdowns and won on points. But the result didn't stick. The fight was later changed to a no-contest when Garcia failed a drug test.
Now, with a rematch on the horizon, Prograis favors Garcia to win again. He explained why in an interview with Mill City Boxing.
"Yeah [I favour Ryan]. I do."
Prograis believes this fight could be a defining moment for Haney.
"If Devin can beat Ryan, this fight could show Haney's greatness If you can beat someone that beat you like that. It doesn't matter about all the supplements, take that out, it still happened."
He added:
"We can say whatever was in his system but that fight still happened and Garcia still dropped him and hurt him three times. If Haney can come out of that and win that will really show his greatness."
Both fighters have tough challenges ahead before they can meet again. They're set to fight on the same card in New York this May. Haney will face ex-unified 140lb champion Jose Ramirez. Garcia will take on Rolly Romero, a former WBA super-lightweight champion who previously fought Gervonta Davis.
These fights will set the stage for what could be an even more dramatic rematch between Haney and Garcia.