By James Hicken
REGIS Prograis has been on the high desk of boxing for a while now and was at all times thought of a prospect all through his beginner and early skilled profession. He has lived as much as these expectations and had a profession lined with gold. Now, as his profession begins its finish, to make use of a cliché oxymoron, he hopes for one final roll of the cube on the desk he has been sitting at for the final six years.
With an beginner report of 87-7, being ranked quantity 4 in the USA, the 2009 Ringside world champion and multiple-time regional golden gloves champion, it’s laborious to argue for something aside from a stellar beginner background for Regis Prograis.
He determined to show skilled in 2012 after competing within the US Olympic trials and making his debut the identical 12 months in opposition to a equally fresh-faced Carl Almirol, whom he dismantled inside one spherical.
Within the subsequent three years, Prograis fought 15 occasions, successful 13 of these fights by knockout. This put him firmly in many individuals’s conversations about future world title contenders and even earned him ESPN’s 2015 Prospect of the Yr award.
2016 rolled round and Prograis picked up his first regional belt, successful the vacant North American Boxing Federation super-lightweight title, stopping Luis Eduardo Florez, who didn’t present staunch opposition for ‘Rougarou’.
Along with his identify rightly now on the world stage, the opposition for Prograis naturally took a step up and after two definitive knockout wins inside two rounds in 2017, the New Orleans native took on his fiercest problem but in Julius Indongo for the WBC interim super-lightweight belt.
Indongo was the previous unified super-lightweight champion and had solely been defeated as soon as till this level when he challenged for undisputed supremacy in opposition to present pound-for-pound nice Terence Crawford (under).
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This battle would put the division on discover as he knocked out Indongo within the second spherical. He confirmed unhealthy intentions from the primary bell, stalking the a lot taller, awkward Namibian, utilizing his elusive head motion to drop him within the first spherical with a counter jab and end the battle the very subsequent spherical with viscously highly effective overhands.
This commanding efficiency from Prograis lined him up for a lot greater alternatives heading into the remainder of 2018. It was laborious to overlook that he had simply handled Indongo extra decisively than the present undisputed champion.
This large alternative would come earlier than the 12 months was out because the second season of the World Boxing Tremendous Collection was introduced with the addition of the super-lightweight division. Prograis wouldn’t move up such a large probability at world titles and to raise the World Boxing Tremendous Collection trophy.
Symptomatic of his intentions for this event, Prograis, as the highest seed, was afforded his alternative of opponent, and he selected Terry Flanagan, a former WBO champion coming off his solely profession defeat.
Flanagan didn’t have sufficient in his arsenal to beat the high-flying American as he was dropped within the eighth spherical and overwhelmed by a convincing margin on all three judges’ playing cards to progress Prograis via to the semi-final to face the WBA champion Kiryl Relikh.
Time after time, Prograis had proved the hype about him was actual, and it was now time for him to show it on the most important stage of his profession, with a world title on the road within the semi-finals of the World Boxing Tremendous Collection.
The efficiency ‘Rougarou’ placed on was greater than worthy of the world title he acquired and will solely be described as a thrashing of Relikh, stopping him precisely midway via the battle to guide himself into the ultimate and to face one other rising star in Josh Taylor for the trophy and to unify the division with Taylor’s IBF title.
Issues didn’t play out as Prograis imagined within the ultimate, as he misplaced a majority choice in a aggressive battle with Josh Taylor. After such a busy 2018 and 2019, Prograis took a 12 months out and sure deliberate his roadmap to change into a world champion once more.
Motion Photos/Reuters/Andrew Couldridge
His exercise stage did diminish, combating solely yearly from 2020 to 2022, however he put collectively three knockout wins, inserting himself on the high of the WBC rankings to finish a brief rebuild and be able to as soon as once more put on a model of the crown at 140 lbs.
On November 26, 2022, Prograis would take his seat on the inexperienced and gold throne, successful the vacant WBC super-lightweight title in opposition to Jose Zepeda within the dominating vogue we had change into accustomed to.
Zepeda was reduce early within the battle, however Prograis was a affected person and calculated fighter, so he toiled away and ultimately brutally dropped Zepeda within the 11th spherical. The referee didn’t want to complete his depend to know that Zepeda couldn’t proceed.
The reign of Prograis had begun and he took no time in solidifying his place as a bona fide champion, beating Daneilito Zorrilla in a wierd break up choice victory that noticed two judges rating the battle 118-109 and 117-110, however Craig Metcalfe had seemingly been watching a unique battle to his colleagues and scored in 114-113 to Zorrilla.
As any actual champion would, Prograis noticed his probability at greatness. They took it because the just lately vacated, undisputed, undefeated light-weight champion Devin Haney had determined to make a weight class foray to problem the WBC belt.
It was an opportunity for Prograis to change into a king slayer and extinguish the brilliant star of Devin Haney, who had been touted by many to change into one of many biggest of all time. It will show to be a bridge too far, and he misplaced a lopsided choice as a result of he couldn’t get previous Haney’s lengthy jab and educated defences.
34 years outdated on the time, many thought this could be the final time we see Prograis at this stage, having been overwhelmed so convincingly. However such is his champion’s coronary heart, he’s prepared to place his profession on the road in opposition to one other younger star within the making for yet another probability at world championship glory in one of the crucial aggressive divisions on the planet.
