Heavy-handed super lightweights Oscar Duarte and Regis Prograis will meet in Anaheim, California on February 15, it was announced today by Golden Boy Promotions.
The fight, which will take place at Honda Center, represents a chance for Prograis to get back in the win column following defeats to both Devin Haney and Jack Catterall. For Duarte, meanwhile, this fight against Prograis represents another slight step up in class, with Prograis undoubtedly one of the biggest and most accomplished names Duarte, 28-2-1 (22), has faced so far.
Duarte, from Chihuahua, Mexico, lost inside eight rounds to Ryan Garcia back in December 2023 but has since then rebounded well, winning two fights on the spin. Last year, he not only stopped Joseph Diaz in nine rounds, but he also outpointed Botirzhon Akhmedov over 10.
As for Prograis, he is a former WBC super lightweight champion who appears, at 35, possibly on the decline. Indeed, there was even talk following his loss against Catterall in October that he may have reached the end of his career and would be set to retire, only for that talk to disappear in 2025. Now 29-3 (24), Prograis will presumably see a fight against Duarte as a slight step down in competition – if, that is, the Mexican is compared with Haney and Catterall – and knows that any kind of win would be exactly what he requires to get going again.
Read the full article here
