Jack Catterall weighed in at 140 pounds, and former WBA/WBC light welterweight champion Regis Prograis weighed in at 139.7 pounds at Friday’s weigh-in for their 12-round contest this Saturday night, October 26. live on DAZN at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England.
(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
Weights:
– Jack Catterall: 140
– King Prograis: 139.7
The Matchroom promoted Catterall (29-1, 13 KOs) and Prograis (29-2, 24 KOs) will fight for the right for the winner to challenge for the IBF light welterweight title next against whoever emerges victorious from the December 7 -match between champion Liam Paro and Richardson Hitchins.
All four of those fighters are at Matchroom, and promoter Eddie Hearn has already said that the winners of those two fights will fight for the IBF belt.
Catterall is the favorite going into Saturday’s fight against the 35-year-old Prograis, who is coming off a career-worst performance, losing by 12-round unanimous decision to Devin Haney on Dec. 9 in San Francisco, California.
It was a complete defeat for Prograis, who struggled with Haney’s skill advantage. There were things Prograis could have done to win, but he didn’t have the right game plan.
Ryan Garcia solved the mystery in his recent win over Haney, showing that he is vulnerable to left hooks when coming forward to clinch. Haney won a lot against Prograis, and he should have been prepared for it. Catterall is the same type of fighter as Haney, but he uses more movement in addition to his hold.
Prograis feels that Catterall is not a world-class fighter as he has not beaten anyone during his 12-year professional career but faded former undisputed light welterweight champion Josh Taylor, who has not looked like the same fighter since his emaciation. once wasn’t. 12-round majority decision win over Jose Ramirez on May 21, 2021.
“The winner moves on to a world title fight. So, the pressure is on,” Catterall said DAZN after weighing in. “Regis had his time in the sun as a two-time world champion. Now is my time.”
“Two big pros, two guys who took care of business in training camp, and two guys who are going to perform tomorrow night,” promoter Eddie Hearn said of Catterall and Prograis. “It’s a fantastic new venue, and it’s a brilliant, brilliant fight.
“This is the kind of fight we need to see in boxing. Two true top-five guys in the world battling it out for a shot at the world title. Liam Paro vs Richardson Hitchins comes on December 7th. We represent both guys. We represent both of these guys (Catterall and Prograis). The winner fights the winner. That’s the only way I see it.
“Jack Catterall deserves his shot at the world title, but he has to get through a tough test tomorrow night. Perhaps the most difficult of his career. It’s going to be a tremendous fight,” Hearn said.
