The new boss of 140 is ‘Rougarou’ Regis Prograis
New Orleans (July 11, 2018)- Unbeaten WBC Diamond Super Lightweight Champion “Rougarou” Regis Prograis (21-0 18KO’s) looks to solidify himself as the man to beat in the 140 pound division this Saturday at the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans. Juan Jose Velasco (20-0 12KO’s) will make his best attempt to stop the Prograis express in only his third fight outside of his native Argentina.
Prograis grew out of the SHOBOX series on Showtime blasting opponents to the delight of die-hards, building notoriety on a stoppage of then un-beaten Joel Diaz Jr. and former champion Julius Indongo. A hard hitting no-nonsense style that is fan friendly makes spending a few bucks on a ticket to the Rougarou show, so much easier to stomach.
In post-fight interviews Prograis shows a hard edge of bluntness with an old school dose of manners to make even the staunchest purists of the sport fall for the puncher from the Big Easy. Prograis now gets his chance to fight at home in front of that NOLA crowd with a belt around his waist as he walks out.
“There are way more distractions (fighting at home), but it’s part of the game. You gotta do it. It’s part of my job.” said Prograis to media, acknowledging that friends and family pose a distraction not faced when fighting away.
A win over Velasco guarantees a highly anticipated spot for Prograis in the World Boxing Super Series tournament. Prograis would be the favorite ahead of the UK’s Josh Taylor to win the series in hope of a showdown with Jose Ramirez in what would be a lucrative fight after the tournament.
Known for his aggressive style that mixes patience with concussive power Prograis said, “I’m not going to say I go in looking for the knockout, but I go in to try and hurt my opponent. Boxing is a brutal sport, and that’s how it’s supposed to be. I feel like I’m a killer. Of course, I’m nice. I can smile with ya’ll, but when I get in there, I’m a killer.”
Velasco knows he wasn’t brought in to win, saying “I feel like everyone is pulling for him, that it’s a gimme fight for Regis. Everyone can talk, but on Saturday, he’ll have to fight.”
The stakes are high for Prograis against a virtual unknown. Saturday we’ll see if the hometown distractions proved too much for the budding star. Prograis has everything to lose. If Velasco can at least be competitive and make Prograis appear vulnerable in a loss, its a win and a guarantee for future fights.
In the Big Easy, nothing comes Easy.
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