New Orleans– New Orleans’ own, Regis Prograis, WBC Interim Super Lightweight Champion, sits-down with Karen Loftus at Mid-City Pizza to talk about coming back to Nola for a huge championship fight July 14th, his “Rougarou” nickname, cutting weight, and where it hurts most to take a punch.
KL: “Lets start with the big news going-on for you. You’re coming back here to fight! July 14th it’s going down. How excited are you to be fighting back here?”
RP: “I’m super, super excited to be fighting here. Everybody always asks me when I’m fighting here and when I’m fighting in New Orleans and this is the time. ESPN, I’m the main event here and then so on the telecast on ESPN, it’s going into the Manny Pacquiao fight.”
KL: “Your nickname…”
RP: “The Rougarou!”
KL: “Rougarou! OK, so I’m not from here so full disclosure, I had to Google it.”
RP: “Don’t feel bad because I had to Google it myself. I didn’t even know what it was either. My manager and my dad, they said we need a nickname. My dad said the Rougarou. And at that time, my manager was like, ‘That’s it.’ And to be honest, I didn’t like it. My 10th fight, I fought in Houston and I wore the mask and the crown just went crazy. They were doing the wolf howl and so then after that, I was like, ‘I like it.'”
KL: “What’s your entrance music?”
RP: “One of my close friends, he’s called Benji Billion, he’s a local rapper. He made a Rougarou anthem and that was my entrance song for a long time. This fight might be kind of special so this ring walk is going to be something crazy.”
KL: “Which is worse– getting hit in the face or taking a shot to the body.”
RP: “The body. Body’s definitely worse. Feel your stomach and feel your skull and tell me which one is softer.”
KL: “Favorite boxing movie?
RP: “Umm….”
KL: “OK, you want me to give you top 3?”
RP: “You might have to give me top 3.”
KL: “OK, I’ll say top 3, no particular order.”
RP: “‘Ali’ with Will Smith, ‘Hands of Stone.’ and probably ‘Raging Bull.'”
KL: ‘You fight at 140. What’s your walking around weight? How much do you have to cut?”
RP: “Right now I’m about 160, so 20 pounds.”
KL: “So what are some things you have to do to cut weight? Obviously diet?”
RP: “The thing is you’re going to lose the weight in the gym now matter what.”
KL: “Just based on your training regimen?”
RP: “Based on my training I’m going to lose the weight in the gym no matter what.”
KL: “What’s your favorite type of pizza?”
RP: “For a long time it was cheese. I just started recently doing the chicken thing so now it’s like chicken or chicken and cheese.”