Catterall And Prograis – What’s Next?
Jack Catterall beat Regis Prograis via a unanimous decision, raising question marks over his next steps.
Catterall won a unanimous decision after dropping Prograis twice in round nine. But he survived a knockdown in round five after his glove touched the canvas after Prograis’ jab. However, the Brit dominated the back end of the fight as the attention turned towards a world title. Eddie Hearn made it clear that this was the focus. Catterall already missed out on becoming the Undisputed Junior Welterweight Champion after losing a controversial split decision against Josh Tayor. While most of the boxing community felt he won, he missed out on all the belts.
Catterall’s Options
Catterall called out Devin Haney after the Prograis win. But Haney is without a belt after vacating his WBC title at 140. He was ordered to face his mandatory Sandor Martin. However, only Top Rank made a purse bid for that fight, showing a lack of demand to see Haney, as he vacated. There is the option to fight Teofimo Lopez.
The Takeover is the WBO Junior Welterweight Champion. He is looking to secure the biggest fights after beating Steve Claggett in his last bout. But he is chasing a fight with Terence Crawford, who currently boxes at 154 pounds. But Lopez is on poor terms with Eddie Hearn. He hit out at DAZN after he lost to George Kambosos Jr. the only defeat of his career. Lopez even went so far as to state that he sees DAZN closing down.
Catterall could also box the IBF Junior Welterweight Champion Liam Paro. The latter beat Subriel Matias to win the belt. Paro was in talks to fight Haney, but those negotiations broke down. Since Paro and Catterall work with Matchroom, that fight could easily be made. But it would require Catterall to fight in Australia since he would be the B-side in talks.
Prograis’ Future
At the same time, things are looking bleak for Prograis. The boxer suffered his second loss on the bounce. He failed to win a single round against Devin Haney, stating that it was just a poor performance. He talked himself up for the Catterall rematch, but Regis does not look the same. His performance was flat-footed, and he could not capitalize on the dominance he could have had once he secured a knockdown in the fifth.
He revealed that he may retire from the sport. If that is the case, he is open to exploring BKFC.
The boxer also dislocated his ankle after slipping on the canvas in the 11th round. Regis is 35 years old and at the latter end of his career. He has also been through some tough fights, including the losses to Haney and Josh Taylor. The latter loss was a fight that could have gone either way. Prograis admitted that he may no longer be at his best if the fights go the distance.
“Maybe 12 rounds is too much for me now.. I started fading in the later rounds. [And] I hurt my knee. I hurt my ankle. It’s because it gets too long, I think. For now, I’m going to do something else and let the young guys take over,” Prograis stated
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