Former super lightweight boxing champion Regis Prograis is ready for a fight. He talks about the possibilities, his lone loss to Josh Taylor, and much more.
Regis Prograis knows what it takes to be a champion. He held the WBA and WBC Diamond super lightweight titles but lost them in 2019 in a debatable majority decision loss to Josh Taylor. With boxing slowed to a halt, he’s itching to get back in action.
Prograis (24-1, 20KOs) last fought against Taylor (16-0, 12 KOS) in October of 2019. One judge scored the bout even, but two others had Taylor ahead with scores of 117-112 and 115-113, which took place at London’s O2 Arena.
With boxing on hold, you might think that he’s stewing over his one defeat, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Prograis hasn’t even watched his contest with Taylor.
“I haven’t watched it,” admitted Prograis to FanSided. “I watched a few rounds. I haven’t watched the whole fight yet.
“I don’t really have to watch it. I can revisit it in my head. It was a lot of things that went on like I said as far as training camp leading up to the fight, during the fight, and after the fight. I could of did better.”
The fight was closer than some might have thought. According to BoxStat, (via TheGruelingTruth.com), Prograis beat out Taylor in every major statistical punching category. Despite what the numbers say, Prograis is at peace with his loss to Taylor. He has a simple way of looking at it.
“I realized that was his night,” said Prograis. “It was his country. It was his night. I can’t do nothing about it. I think it was like destiny. You can’t beat destiny. It was his night, and it was for him. ”
Prograis is staying in shape and ready for any contest that comes his way. Before the coronavirus pandemic, he was slated to meet former WBO titleholder Maurice Hooker in April. That fight was scrapped, and the 31-year-old Prograis welcomes all comers.
“I want to get paid,” said the New Orleans born Prograis. “I was definitely going to get paid good with Maurice Hooker. If that fight is still on the table, then I’m definitely for that. Somebody tweeted out Lewis Ritson. I think him and Eddie [Hearn] had a talk about that in the U.K. That will be a good fight for me back in the U.K.”
Another name Progais has an interest in is the often troubled former champion, Adrien Broner. Broner hasn’t fought in over a year since his majority decision loss to Manny Pacquiao. Broner has been making waves for all the wrong reasons and recently had an Instagram outburst claiming frustration at not being offered a $10 million dollar fight and wanting to be a rapper.
He also threatened to rob anyone who got on his bad side.
“Adrien Broner, that’s a fight I’ve been wanting for a long time also,” said Prograis. “He said he retired. He’s a rapper now. If he don’t get $10 million, then he’s not coming back. Maybe that fight would never happen, but that’s a fight I would like also.”
Since boxing hasn’t been an option, Prograis has spent added quality time with his family in L.A. When he’s not homeschooling his kids or training, nature excursions have become a favorite activity.
Two days ago, Prograis tweeted a video of himself jumping off a very high cliff into a lake. If it scared many of his Twitter followers, then it’s likely that it also sent jolts of fear through his promoter Lou DiBella and manager Sam Katkovski.
Thrill-seeking behavior is part of Prograis’s DNA. He shared an interesting anecdote with FanSided about when he drove to the Olympic Trials with his manager and father as passengers in his sports car.
"I had my manager Sam. We went to the Olympic trials and we drove from Houston to Lake Charles for the Olympic Trials. I had Sam, my manager, and my daddy in the car, and I had just gotten my car. I got a Hellcat. I was driving like 170 on the I-10. He was in the back seat like sh***ing himself. My daddy was like, ‘Slow down, please!’ They was like having a f**king heartache. I’m an adrenaline junkie. I know how it is. Every day I lie in my bed, I thank God that I’m still here because anything could go wrong."
Boxing will be returning to fans soon on television. Boxingscene.com reported that NSAC approved two Las Vegas boxing dates for Top Rank. The sport will look different, with no fans allowed inside arenas for the immediate future. No fans likely mean lower purses for fighters. This is a reality that Prograis anticipates and understands.
“Yeah, I think everybody is going to have to take a pay cut. That’s just the world we live in. Not just boxing, everybody period. There’s no economy right now, so there’s nothing going on. I think everybody will have to take a pay cut. I guess that’s just how it’s going to be.”
While boxing has been on hiatus, many have kept their eyes glued to social media as former greats like Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield have teased comebacks. Some think these events might be limited to exhibitions, though others are taking their returns seriously. Prograis greatly respects both but hopes they do not actively seek a professional reboot.
“He’s [Mike Tyson] 53. He don’t have it no more,” said Prograis. “I think they need to do exhibitions and that’s it. He looks explosive. He looks like a monster on the pads, but at the end of the day, you can’t beat Father Time.
“Even Holyfield, he’s even worse. I saw him on the pads. He ain’t even look that good on the pads. It’s still Holyfield, but look at his last fights. He was getting destroyed.”
Boxing looks like it’s open for business starting in June. Hopefully, Prograis gets his next bout signed and steps into the ring soon.
Fans want to see him in action, and he’s very eager to give the people what they want.