A battle of two Ring Magazine rated junior welterweights takes place at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England this Saturday. Regis Prograis (who is ranked eighth) hits the road to face Jack Catterall (rated fourth) in what is a pivotal battle.
There is no major title at stake, but what is really on the line is relevancy within the 140-pound class, and perhaps a springboard at one of the current belt-holders in the division. Right now the champions are Teofimo Lopez (WBO), Liam Paro (IBF) and Jose Valenzuela (WBA). Currently the WBC title is vacant.
There is a case for Catterall (who is rated in the top five by all four of the major sanctioning bodies) to be the undisputed champion coming into this contest. It was back in February of 2022 where he battled Josh Taylor -- who at the point was considered not only the undisputed champion, but among the worlds best pound-for-pound fighters -- and came up on the short end of a controversial decision.
Matchroom Boxing
You hear a lot of bellyaching over close decisions being 'robberies' or something to that effect. But this fight truly was an awful decision. From the very beginning 'el Gato' riddled Taylor from his southpaw stance, hitting him from the very beginning with lefts. He scored a knockdown in round eight, and just generally controlled the action throughout.
But given that Taylor was the 'house fighter' in Glasgow, he escaped with a highly questionable split decision. After a couple of victories, the crafty Catterall evened the score on 'the Tartan Tornado' back in May. But the impact of this fight wasn't quite the same since Taylor had lost his titles to Lopez in 2023.
The well-traveled Prograis comes into this contest after getting shutout by Devin Haney at the Chase Center in San Francisco. On this night in December, Prograis was simply never able to truly get into any rhythm against the in-and-out movement of Haney.
Matchroom Boxing
Was this just a bad night at the office, or sign of corrosion from the 35 year old Prograis who struggled in his previous bout versus Daniel Zorrilla? Previous to these two fights, one thing you could always count on from the native of New Orleans were solid and entertaining efforts. Not necessarily slick, but he was a well-schooled fighter who had heavy hands.
Prograis has never been afraid to punch his passport. Back in 2019 he faced Taylor in the finals of the World Boxing Super Series tournament. Then he later faced Tyrone McKenna in Dubai. In recent years he has performed in Carson, California, Atlanta, San Antonio and his home city. Have fights, will travel.
But should he struggle again this weekend, will this be the end of the road for him?
SUPER BAD
Top Rank put forth a press release on Wednesday morning that undisputed minimumweight champion, Seniesa 'Super Bad' Estrada had announced her retirement from the ring.
Top Rank
Back in March she engaged in a hard-fought battle with arch-rival, Yokasta Valle, to consolidate the division in what looks like will be the last bout of her 13 year career. She will finish with a career mark of 26-0 (9 KO's) and world titles in two divisions.
"Seniesa Estrada is a spectacular person and fighter, and I know she can look forward to a happy and productive life outside the ring," said Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum. "Everyone at Top Rank will miss promoting her boxing career."
3KR
This week's episode of 'the 3 Knockdown Rule' with Mario Lopez and I featured an in-studio visit from Golden Boy Promotions president, Eric Gomez. We also discussed Tim Tszyu's shocking upset loss:
THE 3 KNOCKDOWN RULE EPISODE 64 | ERIC GOMEZ
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3knockdownrule - Listen on YouTube, Spotify - Linktree
