Jack Catterall To Face Regis Prograis In Manchester On August 24
Jack Catterall and Regis Prograis have been confirmed as each other’s next opponents and will fight in Manchester, England on August 24, organizers announced on Saturday night.
Catterall (29-1-0 13 KO) avenged the only loss of his career by comfortably beating long-time rival Josh Taylor in their May rematch having controversially lost their first fight in February 2022.
Meanwhile, Prograis (29-2-0 24 KO) has not fought since a wide points defeat to Devin Haney in December 2023 when he surrendered his WBC super-lightweight title. The Louisianan’s only other defeat came in a unification bout against Taylor in a razor-thin majority decision in October 2019.
“Regis Prograis is a fantastic fighter and he’s coming off the back of a huge PPV world title fight against Devin Haney,” Catterall stated in the press release to announce the fight. “He’s a former two-time world champion, he’s been over here to the UK before, had a life and death with Josh Taylor, and I’m looking forward to sharing the ring with such a great fighter.”
Catterall had hinted on Saturday that Prograis could be his next opponent, and he shared his confidence that he would inflict a third defeat on the former two-time world champion.
Catterall ‘Wants That Smoke’ From Prograis
“Regis, two-time champion, I want that smoke,” Catterall said while appearing on DAZN during the Tyler Denny vs Felix Cash event in Birmingham, England. “I think he’s slower on his feet, Regis is a tough fighter, [but] he’s 35 now. I think he’s going to make me look good. He’s going to come, bring it. It’s a tough fight but one I expect to win.”
This will be Prograis’ second fight in the UK having faced Taylor at the O2 Arena in London. His bout with Catterall will be the first boxing event to take place at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, and the New Orleans native believes victory will take him a significant step closer to challenging for a world title.
“This is a fight I’ve always wanted,” Prograis said. “We were supposed to fight a few years ago, but it never materialized. Now is the perfect time. I view Jack as one of the best in the world at 140 pounds. It’s a great fight because Jack is eager to become a world champion and I’m looking to become a three-time world champion. On top of that, I’m excited to be coming to the UK.”
It will be a non-title fight but with Catterall and Progais both ranked in the top four by the IBF and the WBA, the winner will be ideally placed to challenge Liam Paro and Teofimo Lopez for their respective belts.
“This is a brilliant fight, and I’m so happy that we are seeing the two best 140-pound fighters face each other rather than just sitting around and waiting for title shots,” said promoter Eddie Hearn, whose Matchroom Boxing promotes both fighters and will promote the show.
‘It’s The Best Fight At 140’
Speaking to Matchroom’s YouTube channel, Hearn explained how Catterall’s fight with Prograis came about, revealing the fight was initially offered to Arnold Barboza Jr.
“It’s the best fight at 140 outside the championship fights. Jack Catterall has become a real star. He had a fantastic performance against Josh Taylor … and he wanted to be active,” Hearn said.
“He spoke to me about fighting for a world title, but Liam Paro just won [beating Subriel Matias on June 15], Teofimo’s got a defense coming up [against Steve Claggett on June 29], Devin Haney’s in limbo … So I said to him, if he wants to stay active, we want to open the Co-op Arena with a big boxing event on August 24. He said he’d fight anybody; just give me the biggest fight you can make.
“We tried with Barboza and they dropped the ball, and it was literally 24 hours ago that I had a conversation with Regis Prograis, who said ‘I’ll fight Jack Catterall in England, I need a big win, let’s do it.’ So we got the fight signed, and it’s a mega fight.
“The card is going to be epic, the arena is fantastic, and we’ve got another massive night for British boxing on August 24.”
