It’s official: Jack Catterall will next face Regis Prograis; the fight was announced this evening for August 24th in Manchester, and the fight is to go out live on DAZN. Catterall, who edged Josh Taylor in a long-awaited return fight last time out, is 29-1(13), the sole loss a controversial decision defeat to common opponent Taylor, while Prograis, a former World Boxing Council champ at 140 pounds, is 29-2(24). He is coming off a wide decision defeat to Devin Haney last December in San Francisco, California.
Catterall of Chorley – who would have/should have been crowned the undisputed four-belt champion at 140 after the 12 rounds he fought with Taylor in their first fight, in the opinion of most fans – finally got his revenge over Taylor after being made to wait over two years for the opportunity to do so. Now, against New Orleans’ Prograis, a southpaw like Catterall, the British star will be in no mood to let his momentum slip.
This is a good, solid matchup, and though Catterall will no doubt start as a significant favorite to win—he is the younger man, he will be fighting at home, and he is coming off a massive win—Prograis cannot be at all written off. That said, Catterall’s manager Sam Jones said tonight, as the fight was announced, that his guy will “smash Prograis to bits.”
We will see. Can Catterall become the first man to halt “Rougarou?” It would be some statement if so. Again, it is a solid, quality fight to add yet more interest to what is really shaping up as a massive summer schedule for boxing.
The 140-pound division is buzzing right now, and it could be that, if he is victorious over Prograis, Catterall could end up facing Taylor in a rubber match we fight fans would all love to see take place.
