Regis Prograis has been waiting over three years for this.
It was October 2019 when the talented 140-pound athlete arrived in London only to lose to Josh Taylor by majority decision in a title unification match. Taylor went on to become the undisputed champion, leaving Prograis as an afterthought.
Now, after Taylor relinquishes his three belts, Prograis will have a chance to reclaim his share of the championship – the WBC version is now vacant – and his place at the top of the table.
The 33-year-old from New Orleans faces Jose Zepeda on Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California (pay-per-view).
“When people introduce me, they call me ‘former champion’, but I want to be the current champion, and not only that, I want to be known as the best in the world in my category, ‘ said Prograis.
“That’s even more important to me than being a champion, which is being the best in the world in my department.”
11/26 Watch the best PPV match on FITETV pic.twitter.com/t6wWw3FddL
— Rougarou (@RPrograis) November 20, 2022
Prograis (27-1, 23 KOs) recovered from the defeat to Taylor by stopping three solid opponents in Juan Heraldez, Ivan Redkach and Tyrone McKenna.
Zepeda (35-2, 27 KOs) is a next level challenge. The 33-year-old from the Los Angeles area was a title challenger, losing narrowly to then-champion Jose Ramirez in 2019, and he had wins against Jose Pedraza, Ivan Baranchyk and Hank Lundy.
Prograis believes there is no fight above at his level.
Prograis said: “Zepeda has never fought such an elusive southern stalker, a southerner as strong as me, a southerner with defensive capabilities, and a southerner with an upper chin. head. “I feel like you can hit me with anything, it won’t do anything. But the important thing is that he hasn’t fought a pack horse like me, it’s one of my strongest suits.
“I worked so hard in training camp, I killed myself. And above all, it was my hunger.”
Of course, the undefeated Taylor, who still holds the WBO belt, can say with certainty that he remains the top welterweight class until someone dethrone him or he moves up the welterweight division.
However, Prograis believes victory over the tough Zepeda will be an important statement.
“There will always be debates but after Saturday my name will be really, very high on the list,” he said. “You have other good fighters, but I think after Saturday my name will be at the top of the 140-pound list.”
