Classy Regis Prograis talks himself out of retiring

Former world two-time champion Regis Prograis said this after dropping a decision to Jack Cattaral.

“I had my time in the sun, and now it’s my turn to hand over to him,” Prograis said. “Good job, Jack. I think for now–I’ll go to bare-knuckle and do something else and let the young guys take over.”

Regis Prograis is 35.

He’s a young man in everything other than sports. In the white-collar world, he hasn’t even hit his prime yet.

35 is a veteran in baseball, football, and basketball. They (the experts) call those guys “seasoned.” In boxing, 35, except for a select few, is old.

Joe Louis was 35 when he returned to the ring to fight Ezzard Charles. Louis lost, commenting later that the openings were there, but he couldn’t pull the trigger.

Boxing is all about milliseconds. Fighters’ reflexes slow down. Legs lose their bounce. Wear and tear set in.

Prograis made a name for himself as an amateur, winning 87 of 94 fights – turning professional in 2012 with little fanfare. In 2015, ESPN recognized him as a Prospect of the Year.

He moved up fast, capturing a portion of the WBA junior welter title in 2019.

Prograis was undefeated in 24 bouts when he fought Josh Taylor – losing the fight by majority decision. No disgrace there. Prograis was expected to return to the ring soon after, but managerial problems slowed him and perhaps took away his prime.

He fought once each in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

His lone fight in 2022 was an important one. Prograis met perennial contender Jose Zepeda for the vacant WBC super lightweight title. The fight was do or die for both fighters. Prograis fought well, stopping Zepeda in round 11. He defended his title once, winning an uninspired split decision over Danielito Zorrilla.

His next go was against Devin Haney. Prograis talked a good game, but found himself on the canvas in round three. Haney won every round.

Prograis, as always, was honest about his lackluster performance. He said he’d do better next time.

The next time was against tricky Jack Catteral in London last week. He did better in the opening half of the fight but was floored twice in round nine.

After the fight, Prograis was honest about his future – (see above), but that talk was short-lived.

“No, I’m not retiring. I will be champion again,” he told Fight Hub TV.

Was Catterall a better fighter than Haney?

“Nah, I think Devin has more tools,” Prograis said. “The Devin fight wasn’t me at all, for sure. With this fight, I was more focused. Both of them are good boxers, but what I can say is, I think Devin has more tools, though.”

Better, yes, but Prograis has been down three times in his last two fights.

Haney and Catterall have 28 knockouts between them.

Punching power is not their forte. Prograis mentioned moving up the welterweight division.

Troubling.

I wish you the best of luck, Regis Prograis.