“Maybe they picked me because I’m 37 now,” Prograis told Sean Zittel during fight week. “So maybe they think I’m old and I’m not going to be in shape and stuff, and they probably want to try to catch me. That’s probably what they think.”
This is Benn’s debut under Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing banner. White is known for wanting high-impact, sure-fire momentum builders. Taking a $15 million gamble on Benn requires a dance partner who brings two-time world champion credentials but may be physically ready to pass the torch.
From a management perspective, Prograis is the perfect opponent for this particular moment. He is a former champion.
Hitting him looks good on a resume. Benn is coming off a middleweight stint and dropping back down to a 150lb catchweight. He needs someone who is “dangerous” enough to sell tickets, but “safe” enough to ensure that a $15 million investment pays off.
“Maybe I would think the same thing,” Prograis said. “But I just feel like it’s not going to go the way they expect things to go.”
Prograis reckons he’s been there, done with that resume, and he’s not wrong about the level of opposition. Benn looked explosive, but there’s a big difference between stopping a shoplifting Chris van Heerden and out-thinking a two-time world champion who shared the ring with Josh Taylor and Devin Haney.
Prograis is clearly banking on the idea that Benn’s team mistook a bad patch for a total crash.
“For me, the thing is that I know I can beat him,” Prograis said. “That’s the most important thing. Now we’re here. It’s fight week.”
Prograis’ confidence comes from the fact that he’s actually performed at the elite level, while Benn’s biggest wins are largely over names past their expiration dates: Chris Eubank Jr (35), Chris Algieri (37) and Chris Van Heerden (34 and hasn’t fought in 1.5 years).
Regis sees himself as a completely different animal because he’s still technically a live threat who only recently held a world title.
One thing to watch is this 150lb catch weight. Prograis has never fought this heavy, and Benn is coming down from middleweight. While Benn’s team likely views this as a size advantage, Prograis seems to think it’s an “alley whoop” that will allow him to maintain his power and chin without the draining cut at 140.
Prograis says it’s “not going the way they expected,” which usually means he plans to drag Benn into deep water. Benn is used to being the hammer. If Prograis can weather the early storm and make it a hard technical fight, as he did in his bounce-back win over Joseph Diaz, he might just prove that 37 is just a number.
However, if those heavy losses to Haney and Catterall weren’t just bad nights, but signs of a cracked chin or slowed reflexes, he’s in trouble. Benn tries to delete people.
