“Everybody thinks that when you get all this stuff, when you get all this money, and you get all these things, you think you’re going to be happy. It’s like the opposite,” Prograis said on InsideRingShow. “A lot of things go to s***. That’s kind of what’s been going on with me for the last two years.”
Prograis has since bounced back with a win over Joseph Diaz and is now scheduled to face Conor Benn in a 10-round fight on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs. Arslanbek Makhmudov in London. He says the difference is now internal, not tactical.
“Another thing is, I kind of fell in love with boxing. I got the tattoo on my arm. I’m obsessed with boxing, and I just kind of fell in love with it,” Prograis said. “I didn’t have the passion that I once had. But now I’m back to that stage of loving it. I’m really into the gym, and I just love being in the gym with these guys.”
The claim is simple. The timing is harder to ignore.
A return to form built on motivation is difficult to measure, especially against a younger opponent expected to test durability early on. The Diaz victory provided activity, but it did not answer whether Prograis can handle pressure at this stage.
“I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, and I don’t do drugs. So, this is my drug. Fighting is like my drug. It’s something I’m really addicted to,” Prograis said.
The fight with Benn will show if the renewed interest holds once he’s back under fire, or if the past two years have been less about mindset and more about where he is as a fighter.
