Oscar Duarte’s ascent coincides with Regis Prograis’ slide as the pair of 140-pound contenders are headed to a February 15 showdown in Anaheim, California.
Duarte promoter Golden Boy Promotions has requested the date and location for a DAZN-streamed card, BoxingScene confirmed Tuesday.
Mexico’s Duarte, 28-2-1 (22 KOs), has responded strongly to his eighth-round knockout loss to Ryan Garcia in December 2023, in Houston by winning his past two fights.
On the “Latino Night” card November 16 in Saudi Arabia, Duarte, 28, defeated Botirzhon Akhmedov by unanimous decision following a prior knockout win over former featherweight champion Joseph Diaz Jnr.
Training in Robert Garcia’s stacked Riverside, Calif. camp that includes super-flyweight champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, unbeaten WBC interim 154-pound champion Vergil Ortiz Jnr and WBA 140-pound champion Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela, Duarte has made definite strides in his skills.
Prograis, 29-3 (24 KOs), meanwhile, enters reeling from consecutive losses to Devin Haney and Jack Catterall.
The former WBC super-lightweight champion who lost his belt to Josh Taylor in 2019 was beaten by 117-108 and two 116-109 scorecards versus Catterall on October 26 after getting swept on the scorecards and knocked down once by Haney in their December 2023 bout.
Duarte is currently ranked No. 9 in the WBA rankings and Prograis is No. 11 in the WBO.
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