Regis Prograis hits the gloves during a training session ahead of his upcoming clash with Jack Catterall in Manchester – Photo by Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
Former two-time junior welterweight titleholder Regis Prograis is determined to make another title run and is set to upset the streaky Jack Catterall on Saturday.
The two, who have a shared history, will meet in what promises to be an enthralling encounter at the Co-op Live Arena, Manchester, England.
“It was a fight we could have had a long time ago, we were both signed to (now defunct promotional outfit) Probellum at the time and I remember him saying he wanted to fight me and I thought we were going to let happen, but it never did,” Prograis (29-2, 24 knockouts) told The Ring. “This is the biggest fight you can make at 140 without the belts up the game is, so I think it’s the perfect time for me and him to finally make the fight happen.”
Although Prograis, rated No. 8 by The Ring at junior welterweightwasn’t initially happy about giving up home advantage to face Catterall, he eventually decided to take advantage of the opportunity, which is his first fight since losing his WBC title to Devin Haney last December.
“Matchroom told me: “That’s all you’ve got, that’s it.” I was quite against it, but I’m not really tripping over it now,” he said. “I feel like I’m levels above Jack and that’s no disrespect to him, I think he’s a good fighter but I know I’m better than Jack so it doesn’t matter where the fight takes place.”
They met on August 28. However, the Brit was injured and the fight was postponed.
“I was fine, the only thing that bothered me was that I didn’t get any camp money from Matchroom,” he said. “I went to Las Vegas and everything came out of my pocket, it wasn’t really that much money, but at the same time I did all that stuff myself.
Regis Prograis talks to Showtime’s Steve Farhood after winning the interim WBC 140-pound title. Photo by Stephanie Trapp-Showtime
“I went to Las Vegas, I was training, I stayed out there for about a month. Then they told me it was canceled and then they told me it was going to be postponed. I took it in my stride, as long as we can still fight it’s cool. I kind of cut training camp short, took some time off and then went back when I had to.”
Prograis, who held the WBA 140lb title earlier in his career before losing it to Josh Taylor (MD 12) in a close fight in the final of the World Boxing Super Series, bounced back impressively to take the vacant WBC 140-pound won. title stopping Jose Zepeda (KO 11) but then worked to beat Danielito Zorrilla (SD 12) in his first defense which doubled as a homecoming in June 2023.
He ventured to San Francisco and was dropped and surprisingly dominated by Devin Haney (UD 12) last December.
“I just wasn’t me, I think Devin is a good fighter, I don’t want to make excuses, I had the worst night or my career and he had the best,” said Prograis. “The sad thing in boxing is we’re not like other sports, sometimes in basketball and football, you can have off nights and then you can go play the next week and have a great night, but in boxing you might have ‘ an off-night and you might not fight for 10 months, just like me.”
The guard saw the Houston native go back to basics and rediscover his passion for boxing.
“Just because I was me, in the Haney fight I stopped doing things that put me on top,” he admitted. “I changed everything and my coach warned me about it a long time ago, he said: “A lot of people do this, they did something that worked their career and they get a big opportunity and they change everything.” And that’s which I did I must have loved how it was Just to be me again.
“One of the main things, I worked out with different coaches and I replaced my head coach, Bobby Benton, and made him my assistant coach and I made one of my assistant coaches my head coach, which was a mistake to go back to look into insight. Even in camp, when I did that, we had friction. Bobby is back at no. 1. I feel like what I’ve been doing in the gym is amazing, even my trainers are like, “It’s the old Regis, you’re back.” My coaches would be honest with me if I wasn’t.
“I’m getting back into my groove of being me and the most important thing is to just have fun, Bobby tells me every day. I feel like the last fight there was so much pressure on me, the people around me, my friends, you shouldn’t have all this pressure. I had to think about it, but it’s true. Bobby will tell me some instructions before I start sparring and the last thing he will say is, ‘Go enjoy it.’ That’s what I’m doing now.”
At 35, with a long sabbatical, there are those who believe we have seen the best of Prograis. However, Prograis is not one of them. He intends to channel his inner “Rougarou”.
“Let people talk, I won’t let anyone tell me who I am, I’m going to show you who I am,” he said defiantly. “As long as I’m Regis, the person who has come out on top twice, as long as that person shows up, I’m fine and I feel like that person hasn’t existed for a while. I feel like I’m getting back to my groove of being me and what got me to the top in the first place. If that Regis shows up, it won’t be a difficult night.”
Catterall (29-1, 13 KOs), rated number 4 by The Ring at junior welterweight, learned on the job after turning pro in 2012. He scored several impressive wins over the likes of Tom Stalker (TKO 8) and Joe Hughes (UD 12), and went on to win the British title against Tyrone Nurse (UD 12). Despite remaining undefeated, his career seemed to have stalled.
He was the WBO no. 1 contender and finally got his big chance when he met then Ring Champion Josh Taylor. Catterall fought the fight of his life, dropping Taylor before holding off the defending champion’s late charge. Most believed he had done enough, but he lost a highly contested 12-round split decision. When the rematch never happened, the 31-year-old bounced back and beat Darragh Foley (UD 10) and slick veteran former three-weight titleholder Jorge Linares (UD 12). He eventually got the Taylor rematch and went his way through a 12-round unanimous decision.
Catterall-Taylor, plus undercard action, will air on DAZN at 2pm ET/11am PT and 7pm GMT.
Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at (email protected).
