Jack Catterall weighed in at 140 lbs, and former WBA/WBC light welterweight champion Regis Prograis came in at 139.7 pounds during Friday’s weigh-in for their 12-round contest this Saturday night on October 26th, live on DAZN at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England.
(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
Weights:
– Jack Catterall: 140
– Regis Prograis: 139.7
The Matchroom promoted Catterall (29-1, 13 KOs) and Prograis (29-2, 24 KOs) will be fighting for the right for the winner to challenge for the IBF light welterweight title next against whoever emerges victorious from the December 7th bout between champion Liam Paro and Richardson Hitchins.
All four of those fighters are with Matchroom, and promoter Eddie Hearn has already said that the winners of those two fights will battle for the IBF belt.
Catterall is the favorite going into Saturday’s fight against 35-year-old Prograis, who is coming off a career-worst performance, losing by a 12-round unanimous decision to Devin Haney on December 9th in San Francisco, California.
It was a complete shutout defeat for Prograis, who struggled with Haney’s skills advantage. There were things that Prograis could have done to win, but he didn’t have the right game plan.
Ryan Garcia solved the puzzle in his recent win over Haney, showing he’s vulnerable to left hooks when coming forward to clinch. Haney did a lot of clinching against Prograis, and he should have been prepared for it. Catterall is the same type of fighter as Haney, but he uses more movement in addition to his holding.
Prograis feels that Catterall isn’t a world-class fighter because he’s beaten no one during his 12-year professional career but the faded former undisputed light welterweight champion Josh Taylor, who hasn’t looked like the same fighter he once was since his grueling 12-round majority decision win over Jose Ramirez on May 21, 2021.
“The winner moves on to a world title fight. So, the pressure is on,” said Catterall to DAZN after weighing in. “Regis has had his time in the sun as a two-time world champion. It’s my time now.”
“Two great pros, two guys that have taken care of business in training camp, and two guys that are going to perform tomorrow night,” said promoter Eddie Hearn about Catterall and Prograis. “It’s a fantastic new venue, and it’s a brilliant, brilliant fight.
“It’s the kind of fight that we need to see in boxing. Two genuine top-five guys in the world battling it out out for a shot at the world title. Liam Paro against Richardson Hitchins comes up on December 7th. We represent both guys. We represent both of these guys [Catterall and Prograis]. The winner fights the winner. That’s the only way I see it.
“Jack Catterall deserves his shot at the world title, but he’s got to come through a tough test tomorrow night. Maybe the toughest of his career. It’ll be a tremendous fight,” said Hearn.
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