Jack Catterall (30-1, 13 KOs) defeated former two-time light welterweight champion Regis ‘Rougarou’ Prograis (29-3, 24 KOs) via a 12-round unanimous decision in the main event to capture the vacant WBO International super lightweight title Saturday night at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England.
(Credit: Mathew Pover/Matchroom Boxing)
In round nine, Catterall landed a pair of takedowns against the 35-year-old Prograis. Outside of that round, the fight had almost no action.
In the first round, few punches were landed from either fighter. Prograis continued to support Catterall with another round of little contact from Catterall in the second. In the third round, Catterall landed his first solid punch on Prograis’ right eye, causing redness in another round of no action. After four rounds, only a total of 34 punches landed.
“I knew I couldn’t gamble too much. He’s a hell of a fighter, a two-time world champion. I got back into it and got two takedowns and started progressing out of it,” Catterall said Matchroom Boxing after the fight, discussing how he came back from an early knock.
In the final seconds of the fifth round, Prograis landed a punch to the right shoulder, causing referee John Latham to call a knockdown as Catterall went to the canvas, possibly from more of a slip than the punch.
Catterall suffered a cut to his right eyebrow from a clash of heads in the seventh.
Both wrestled to the canvas in the first minute of round eight. Prograis continues to run after Catterall, his punches falling short, while Catterall barely lands any.
In the final minute of the ninth round, Catterall dropped Prograis with a left to the chin for an 8 count from referee Latham. In the final seconds, Prograis again went from the left and quickly up.
In the tenth round there was little action as Catterall who was landed landed. In the eleventh round the large crowd goes wild when Catterall lands a punch. In the twelfth and final round, after a minute, Prograis, desperate for a knockout that was behind, landed on the canvas after missing a wild left. He may have injured his right foot. The bit that landed came from Catterall.
Scores were 117-108, 116-109 and 116-109.
Returning after 15 months, 2016 Olympian and 2021 Silver Medalist Olympian and WBA Continental Super Welter Champion Pat McCormack (6-0, 4 KOs) defeated Willam Andres Herrera (16-4, 7 KOs) by unanimous decision of ten rounds to win the vacant WBA Intercontinental Welterweight title.
In the first three rounds, McCormack dominated Herrera. In the fourth round, referee Bob Williams, the commentators reported, took a point from McCormack after a third warning for low punches. The final scores didn’t show it.
In the sixth round, McCormack landed right in the back of the head, dropped Herrera and was waved off by referee Williams. In the seventh round, Herrera became the aggressor for the remainder of the fight, although he had lost every round up to this point.
In the ninth round, a clash of heads left McCormack with a cut to his left eyebrow with blood running down his face. In the tenth and final round, McCormack still couldn’t hold off the light-punching Herrera, although he dominated.
Scores were 100-90, 100-90 and 100-90.
In a rematch, light welterweight Jimmy Joe Flint (15-2-2, 3 KOs) defeated Campbell Hatton (14-2, 5 KOs) by a 10-round unanimous decision in a dirt fight.
In the first round, Hatton, seeking revenge for losing to Flint, took the round, although Flint spent most of it. In the second round, in the first minute, a clash of heads caused a cut to Hatton’s left eyebrow. Flint continued to hold without a warning from referee Steve Gray.
In the third round it was all Hatton, who had Flint’s face red as a partner. Flint finished the losing round with a combination. In the fourth round, Flint suffered a cut to his left eyebrow. Hatton continued to dominate Flint, which continued.
In the fifth round’s first half, it was all Hatton. Flint finally decided to start fighting, rocking Hatton with a right midsection and going the rest of the round. In the sixth round, both boxers continued to throw punches at a high rate, with Flint having the best of it.
In the seventh round, Hatton did the holding, with Flint taking another round. In the eighth round, it was close, with Flint holding a slight edge. The hold from both continued immediately after punches landed. In the ninth round, referee Gray warned Hatton for using his head. There wasn’t a hold for half a lap before it started again. Flint seemed to finish stronger.
In the tenth and final round, the dirty fight continued. In the final seconds, Flint rocked Hatton with a right to the chin, causing Hatton to hold the right end of the bell. Flint’s left eye was closed. After the fight, referee Gray helped remove Hatton’s gloves. It was a first.
Scores were 97-94, 96-94 and 96-95.
Featherweight Joe McGrail (11-0, 5 KOs) defeated Lewis Morris (8-3, 1 KO) by an 8-round decision and scored the lone knockout.
In the second round, in the final seconds, a left hook from McGrail on the chin dropped Morris for an 8 count from referee Steve Gray. In the third, Morris kept his head.
In the fourth, McGrail was warned several times for low blows, although all four rounds were taken, none crooked. Morris landed several punches in the sixth round’s final seconds to steal the round.
In the seventh round, Morris may have taken a close round and his best shot landed a right in the round on the chin of McGrail. McGrail looked like he was looking for a stoppage, but it never came close. In the eighth and final round it was very competitive.
Referee Steve Gray scored the fight 79-72.
Junior middleweight southpaw Junaid Bostan (10-0, 8 KOs) stopped Maico Sommariva (9-5-1, 8 KOs) at 1:39 of the third round of a scheduled eight rounder.
In the second round, Bostan Sommariva threw Sommariva to the canvas midway through the round with a warning from referee Michael Alexander. Bostan took both rounds. In the third round, Bostan landed a lead upper left to the midsection, dropping Sommariva, who managed to beat the count from referee Alexander, who waved it away after checking Sommariva’s condition.
Middleweight Steve Clarke (6-0 (1 KO) defeated Mateusz Pawlowski (2-2, 1 KO) by six-round decision.
In the first four rounds, Clarke chased Pawlowski, who had a bad habit of dropping his hands.
Pawlowski landed his best punch so far in the fifth round, a right to Clarke’s chin midway through the round. Clarke came back and found another one. Pawlowski got the last two punches in the sixth and final round and possibly took his first round.
Referee Steve Gray scored it 60-54.
Junior middleweight William Crolla (6-0, 5 KOs) stopped Lorenzo Grasso (6-2, 1 KO) at 0:44 of the first round of a scheduled six rounder.
In the first round’s early seconds, a right to the chin from Crolla had Grasso on his feet and defenseless when referee Michael Alexander stepped in, stopped it and held Grasso for a fall.
Undefeated as an amateur European gold medalist, 5x bantamweight champion Emily Whitworth (1-0) defeated Sara Orszagi (1-3) by a four-round decision.
In the first two rounds, Whitworth won. The opponent was much lighter and had a losing record, which was not a good choice for a first pro fight. Orszagi showed a lot of heart.
Whitworth took the fourth and final rounds. The final round landed a big right after a minute and a solid left to the chin shortly after, but Orszagi did her job for it. Ringside commentators mobbed Whitworth.
Referee Michael Alexander scored it 40-36.
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