Devin Haney is picking underdog Regis Prograis to defeat Jack Catterall in their light welterweight headliner fight this Saturday, October 26th, at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England.
(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
If the former WBC and WBC 140-lb champion Prograis is victorious over Catterall (29-1, 13 KOs), it’ll make Haney’s victory over him last year on December 9th look all the better. It’s doubtful that will happen, but it’s understandable why Haney would want Regis to win because his career is in the dumps now, looking shaky.
Haney defeated Prograis (29-4, 24 KOs) by a 12-round unanimous decision with scores of 120-107, 120-107, and 120-107.
Regis Can Turn His Career Around
Prograis, 35, hasn’t looked like the same fighter he once was in his last two performances, and he’s full of excuses about what has happened. He talks about veering away from his main trainer, Bobby Benton, for his recent loss to Haney.
A win for the New Orleans native Prograis over Catterall would put him in a position to challenge for a world title against the winner of the December 7th fight between IBF light welterweight champion Liam Paro and Richardson Hitchins.
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has been openly talking about wanting Catterall to fight the winner of the Paro-Hitchins fight, even though he also promotes Prograis. It’s obvious that Hearn expects Catterall to win on Saturday, but Prograis, the more proven fighter of the two, may throw a wrench in Hearn’s plans.
Catterall’s resume consists almost entirely of wins over British fighters, and he’s not faced with world-level fighters who weren’t from the UK. He defeated former three-division world champion Jorge Linares last year by a 12-round unanimous decision on October 21st, 2023. However, Linares was 38 years old, and nowhere near the fighter, he’d been during his prime when he fought Catterall.
Prograis Wasn’t Mentally There
“When I was in the fight, I was like, ‘Man, I want this fight to be over,’” said Prograis to the Ariel Helwani channel, talking about his last contest against Haney on December 9th. “Mentally, I just wasn’t there. I wasn’t out there enjoying myself and having fun. I was just there for a job, and that’s not what I do.”
In an ideal situation, Prograis will defeat Catterall by knockout on Saturday night and then face Haney in a rematch to avenge his loss. That would be the perfect scenario for Prograis. Whether Haney would want to fight Prograis again is doubtful because he’s expected to be looking for a soft touch for his next contest after losing Ryan Garcia in a three-knockdown performance on April 20th.
“For me, it’s about going out and proving. I know what I’ve been doing in camp. I feel just as good as when I was 27 and 28. I can do all the same things. So, for me, it’s about going out and proving it. I’m not tripping about what people say,” said Prograis, reacting to the many fans who believe he’s washed up after his loss to Haney.
Prograis is fighting a guy with a similar style as Haney in Catterall. Catterall uses a lot of movement, feints, jabs, and clinches to win his fights. Catterall is not as talented as Haney, but he has a similar style. According to Hearn, Catterall selected Prograis’s name out of a hat for who he wanted to fight, which means he thinks he’s an easy mark.
“I was surprised about that. I didn’t think that was supposed to happen,” said Prograis when asked if he was surprised how Ryan Garcia defeated Haney earlier this year on April 20th. “I thought Haney was going to win, especially with all the crazy stuff that Garcia was saying during the build-up.”
I’m picking Regis this weekend..
— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) October 24, 2024
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