“Regis Prograis is long overdue in my opinion,” Taylor told Boxing News. “He’s not the fighter he once was and hasn’t been for a while.”
The 37-year-old former two-time 140-lb champion Prograis has suffered several defeats in recent years and has not looked like the same fighter who pushed Taylor to a close decision in their fight seven years ago. Taylor said the change in Prograis’ form makes Benn’s choice of opponent a puzzling one.
“I don’t want to sound disrespectful, but I’m just saying it like I think it is,” Taylor said. “He’s not the fighter he once was.”
The Scottish fighter suggested the motivation behind the fight was simple. Reports have circulated that Benn could earn a massive payday for the match, and Taylor believes the financial offer explains the match.
“It’s a very strange move other than financial gain,” Taylor said. “If I was offered that kind of money I would have taken it too. So you can’t blame Conor for that.”
Taylor acknowledged that Prograis still has the experience to cause early problems, even if he no longer views him as the same threat he once was in the junior welterweight division.
“He’s still a good fighter, and he can make it uncomfortable at the beginning,” Taylor said. “But I can’t see anything other than a win for Conor Benn.”
The pair previously met at super-lightweight in 2019, when Taylor Prograis decisioned in a competitive unification bout that saw the Scot crowned champion.
However, from Taylor’s perspective, that version of Prograis no longer exists. Benn’s upcoming fight on April 11, he suggested, reflects the realities of modern prizefighting more than a meeting between two fighters at their peak.
“Hey, it’s prize fighting,” Taylor said. “If the money is there, fighters are going to take it.”
Taylor’s view may sound harsh, but it mirrors how some fighters view Regis’ recent run in the ring. Whether that judgment is correct will be tested once Benn and Prograis step into the ring.
