After a year of disruption and change, Regis Prograis can’t wait to return on October 31 and show the world he remains a force in the 140lbs division.
Just 12 months ago, Prograis was on the brink of supremacy among the super-lightweights before he lost a close, majority decision to Josh Taylor in a thrilling WBSS Final and unification battle at the O2 Arena.
A comeback fight against former WBO champion Maurice Hooker was then cancelled by the Covid-19 Pandemic before Prograis split amicably with long-time promoter Lou DiBella and aligned himself with the PBC.
Now a refreshed Prograis returns against the unbeaten Juan Heraldez (16-0-1, 10 KOs) at the Alamodome in San Antonio in eight days’ time, having moved his training camp from Los Angeles back to his usual base in Houston.
“Training camp is going great and I’m thrilled to be back home in Houston with my team,” said former WBA Super champion Prograis (24-1, 20 KOs). “I have my best training here. It’s just a strict training camp lifestyle. When I lived in L.A. I had great training, but it’s just a vacation lifestyle that doesn’t work for me right now. Down here in Houston, I’m with my long-time trainer Bobby Benton at the Main Street Boxing Gym. There’s no frills in there, it’s always very hot.
“When the pandemic started, I was still living in Los Angeles, so I’d go to the gym late at night and train by myself. Since I moved back to Houston, we’ve taken all the protocols to have a safe camp and prepare to our fullest for October 31.
“I wanted to fight soon after the Josh Taylor fight, because I always want to be active. We had a fight set in April against Maurice Hooker, then the pandemic hit and it was postponed. Now my sights are only set on Juan Heraldez. I can’t wait to fight on October 31. I just love to fight.
“This is my first time on a [US] pay-per-view [on Showtime] and first time fighting on a Premier Boxing Champions card, so I’m very excited,” continued Prograis. “I’m thrilled that we’re fighting in front of [socially distanced] fans at the Alamodome. It’s only a couple hours away from Houston and I know San Antonio’s a great fight town. It’s going to be a tremendous night.
“I don’t know too much about Juan Heraldez, but for him this is a great opportunity, so I know he’s going to come into the fight with guns blazing. We’ll see what happens once the fight starts. I can box and I can bang, and the way I’m training, I’ll be more than ready for whatever he brings. I’m not big on predictions, but I’ll be victorious.”
Main image: Andrew Hemingway/SHOWTIME.