Regis Prograis has injured a shoulder in training and will reportedly be pulling out of his scheduled February 15th main event fight against Oscar Duarte on DAZN at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
The event promoters, Golden Boy, have yet to confirm whether the former two-time light welterweight champion Prograis (29-3, 24 KOs) is off the card. With an injured shoulder, the 36-year-old Regis cannot afford to fight this type of opponent with just one arm.
Prograis has lost his last two fights, and it’s essential he be healthy to avoid a third straight defeat. The Ring broke the news of Prograis’ shoulder injury. There’s no word yet whether a replacement is being sought for Duarte (28-2-1, 22 KOs) to fight in the headliner.
If a last-minute replacement can be found, Duarte, 29, would be taking a considerable risk because he wouldn’t have time to prepare for their style. It wouldn’t matter if he’s facing a lot level opponent with no ability. However, considering this is the main event on DAZN, Golden Boy might not feel comfortable picking just anyone to use as the replacement opponent for Duarte.
The former WBA and WBC light welterweight champion Prograis has had rotten luck lately, losing to Devin Haney by a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision on December 9, 2023, and then Jack Catterall by a wide 12-round unanimous decision on October 26th last year.
Prograis had the power advantage in both cases but was outboxed and schooled. With his power, pressure, and experience, he could have done much better. Ryan Garcia created the blueprint for beating Haney by throwing left hooks. However, Prograis fought Haney before Ryan fought him so that he couldn’t learn from anyone before his fight with him.
It would be interesting to see Ernesto Mercado brought in as the replacement for Prograis to fight Duarte. However, Golden Boy would probably reject the idea of him being used. Mercado is too good.
