Arguably the biggest fight of the weekend, the 140-pound non-title but very significant bout between Jack Catterall and Regis Prograis will likely see the winner go onto a bigger fight. Quite a few see the fight going down in Manchester tomorrow night as close to a 50-50 affair. The two southpaws have skills, while Catterall is the younger man by a few years, and he will, of course, be fighting at home. But Prograis, a former two-time champion, feels he will get the win, and it will lead him into another world title fight.
(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
Catterall’s frame of mind is the same, and he even has a target – Teofimo Lopez. Lopez, who defeated Josh Taylor, who has been in with Catterall and Prograis, is seen by many as the top dog at 140 pounds. And Catterall wants a piece of him next, so long as he’s victorious against Prograis.
“That’s the motivation for both of us as the winner goes on to land a big fight,” Catterall said in speaking to DAZN. “I don’t want to look too far into the future, but if I had to pick [who I’d fight next after Prograis], then it’d be Teofimo Lopez. He has the WBO world title and out of all the champions in the division, that’d be the fight I’d love to have, but first and foremost, I’ve got to do a job and that’s to beat Prograis.”
Tomorrow’s fight could prove to be a tough one for both men, and the winner may well need a decent rest afterward. But Catterall against Lopez is a tantalizing prospect, especially for British fight fans. Lopez, 21-1(13) dominated Taylor to win the WBO belt last June, and he has won two title defences since then. It would be great if “The Takeover” agreed to fight Catterall here in the UK.
But as Catterall has said, he cannot look past the 29-2(24) Prograis, not one bit. That’s how upsets occur. But would it be seen as an upset if Prograis defeated Catterall? We have a sleeper fight with tomorrow’s bout; certainly, there hasn’t been too much hype attached to the fight, but hardcore fans know they are in for a good one.
Pick:
Catterall, 29-1(13), has to dig in and overcome rough patches as he comes on to pull out a close decision win over a Prograis who feels at the end that he won the fight.
