Regis Prograis currently sits outside of every reputable pound for pound list.
The two-time 140-pound titleholder Prograis (29-1, 24 KOs) is not currently listed among BoxingScene.com top 15 P4P list.
The WBC junior welterweight champion Prograis is looking to fix that Saturday when he takes on former undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney (30-0, 15 KOs) at the Chase Center in San Francisco on DAZN PPV.
“I’m going to whoop Devin Haney’s ass! And I’m going to be pound for pound at the top,” Prograis told BoxingScene.com and other media. “I’m going to stop him. I’m going to hurt him.”
The matchup between Prograis and Haney is shaping up to be a competitive one on paper, and the outcome has been up for debate even though Haney is a -400 betting favorite and Prograis is a +300 betting underdog, according to DraftKings.
“Boxing fans are tired of seeing fighters against fighters where they know who’s going to win. Right now we need to have fights where you don’t know which side is going to win,” said Prograis. All I want now at this stage of my career is the big pay per view fights. That’s it.”
Pound for pound lists aside, an upset victory can propel Prograis to even bigger fights against the likes of WBO junior welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez Jr. and contender Ryan Garcia in 2024.
A grudge match to avenge his lone career loss to Josh Taylor could also be in the cards.
“[A Taylor fight eventually is] something that I definitely want for sure. But is he going to stay at 140? I feel like there is way more out there than [Taylor] right now,” said Prograis. “I want big fights. There are bigger fights than a Josh Taylor rematch. Personally, I want it. But business wise, there are bigger fights.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.