Regis Prograis ‘Very Upset’ After Bout With Jack Catterall Canceled
Regis Prograis has admitted that it’s “very upsetting” that his August 24 bout with Jack Catterall has been canceled after the British fighter sustained an injury in training.
Prograis (29-2-0 24 KO) and Catterall (29-1-0 13 KO) were expected to fight in Manchester, England later this month in a high-profile, super-lightweight non-title fight. But it was announced on Wednesday that the bout has been called off due to an unspecified injury to Catterall.
“Our August 24 event at Co-op Live in Manchester is cancelled due to an injury sustained to Jack Catterall,” read a social media post by Matchroom. “Further details will follow in due course. “Ticket refunds are available from your point of purchase.”
Prograis, who has been preparing and training for his first bout since losing his WBC super-lightweight world title to Devin Haney in December, is understandably less than happy.
“I have truly invested in myself for this training camp,” Prograis said. “I was working my ass off in Las Vegas, setting up camp, paying for everything. Every day, I was busting my ass and watching Jack’s fights before I went to sleep. And now this happens. It’s very upsetting.”
It has been reported that the fight could be rescheduled for October, although Catterall insisted on Wednesday that he won’t be rushed back, which would be why the fight was officially canceled instead of simply being postponed.
“I picked up an injury and tried to train through it last week and took medical advice and obviously it’s disappointing, but health comes first. I’ve had to make the decision to withdraw and look at rescheduling it,” Catterall, 31, told BoxingScene, before adding that he wouldn’t face Prograis unless he’s completely fit and fight ready.
“A hundred per cent. With the situation I find myself in, I find myself in a good position. I’ve had the momentum this last year or two, so I’ve got to make sure I can get in there and it’s a fight I believe I can win so I’m not going to go in there less than 100 per cent.”
As part of his grueling plan for Catterall, Prograis has been training in the stifling Nevada summer heat, a decision to sharpen both his body and mind.
“Most of it is mental,” Prograis said. “To know that I’m doing all this stuff every single day, I’m suffering every single day. Like today, I woke up at five [am] I had to go hit the pool at 6am, and then it is just really hot.
“As soon as you wake up, it’s just really hot all the time. And then you go to the gym and it’s really hot, and I’m just putting all this work in, and then I have to go work out again. I just know he’s not doing what I’m doing. Can’t be.”
Should the fight with Catterall eventually go ahead, it will be Prograis’ second trip to the UK having fought Josh Taylor in a unification bout in October 2019. On that occasion, the New Orleans native came up just short in a razor-thin majority-decision loss – the first defeat of his career.
Prograis, who has also fought in Dubai, says he’s comfortable with being the away fighter and he can expect good support in the UK following his warrior-like performance against Taylor.
“At the end of the day, a fight is a fight,” Prograis said. “It’s two men fighting. Yeah, you have a lot of distractions, and the first time I went [to face Taylor], I did some things that I learned from. Not saying I probably shouldn’t have done them, but I did some things that I learned from.
“So the first time, you live and you learn. But now I’ll be adjusted, and I feel like the people over there love me. Obviously, I won’t be the hometown favorite. But the people in the UK, they appreciate boxing and they love good boxing.”
