New Orleans — Just over 3 months after his knockout victory this summer in New Orleans, Regis Prograis returns to his hometown for another huge fight.
“They said either we can have it in New Orleans or we can have it in London where [Terry Flanagan] is from, ” Prograis said. “I guess New Orleans was the better choice so we took it here to New Orleans. Like I said, I’m just super excited about it because this is a dream come true. Not even just the tournament but what I did before. It’s crazy. I never thought I’d even be here, but I am.”
This next fight is the first round of the World Boxing Super Series Tournament in the super lightweight division, where 8 boxers from all over the world compete for the Ali Trophy and top ranking across all 4 of the major sanctioning bodies.
“If you thought last time was a big-time event, this time is going to be way better,” Prograis said.
“This is a world-wide event,” said Prograis’ trainer Bobby Benton. “This thing is huge. This tournament, it lets us see who the best 140-pounder in the world is.”
Prograis, who is now 22-0, is the top seed in his bracket and is ranked as the top junior welterweight boxer in the world. But there’s still always room for improvement.
“He could have been better defensively but he got the job done,” Benton said. “He doesn’t have to get hit. He could be a lot sharper defensively.”
“In my opinion I got hit a little too much and I could have finished that dude off way earlier,” Prograis said. “That didn’t come from training. I think I was just a little nervous. And I was telling people earlier, I did something that I wasn’t supposed to do. I ate a po-boy and gumbo right before the fight. So that’s something that you’re definitely not supposed to do. I won’t make that mistake twice.”
Prograis will now head back to Houston for two more weeks of training camp before his October 27th fight at UNO’s Lakefront Arena. If he wins that fight, he will advance to the semifinals of the super lightweight bracket.