Via Vince D’Writer: Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing are setting a precedent for a homecoming bout, as WBC ultralightweight champion Regis “Rougarou” Prograis prepares to defend his title against Liam Paro (23-0, 14 KOs) on Saturday, June 17, at the Smoothie King Center, in New Orleans, Louisiana, live on DAZN.
The official announcement was made on May 6 at the Canelo vs. Ryder in Guadalajara, Mexico. Prograis, the two-time ultralightweight champion, is looking forward to fighting in front of his hometown crowd, and he’s also excited about the chance to clash with other elite contenders in the future at the 140-pound division. .
Participating in the main event in New Orleans is very special to Prograis. He was born and raised in the Big Easy, but he and his family moved to Houston due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Despite the fact that he currently lives in another city, New Orleans remains close to his heart as he has a Superdome tattoo and the city skyline on his chest.
Back in April 2019, Regis Prograis won the WBA ultralightweight belt when he scored a sixth round TKO victory over Kiryl Relikh. On that historic night of 2019, Prograis became the first New Orleans boxer to win the world title in more than 50 years.
Six months after his glorious victory, Prograis traveled to London for a reunification match against Josh Taylor. It was a tight back-and-forth, but in the end, Taylor won by majority decision.
The next two years were filled with pain and disappointment when Prograis couldn’t secure a rematch with Josh Taylor, and all the big fights he wanted to get into for one reason or another never came to fruition. realistic.
Finally, in November 2022, Prograis received a world title opportunity that had been vacated by the undisputed former lightweight champion. Prograis took advantage of the long-awaited opportunity when he stopped Jose Zepeda in the 11th round and won the WBC lightweight belt.
Now, the newest addition to the Matchroom Boxing stable is ready to return to his hometown of New Orleans to defend his first WBC title. His opponent on June 17, the undefeated Liam Paro, plans to take Rougarou’s title and spoil his homecoming event.
However, Regis Prograis (28-1, 24 KOs) is aware of the fact that as the champion in the 140-pound weight class, he has a goal behind him, but Prograis is ready to defend the title. his first brand at the Smoothie King Center, in front of thousands of New Orleans people.
“June 17, yes, man, we fight in New Orleans at Smoothie King, it was a homecoming for me. This is something I’ve always dreamed of, and I’m so glad Matchroom made it happen.”
Up to this point, Regis Prograis has been very successful in his boxing career. However, Prograis feels that he could have achieved even greater success if he had been more active and properly promoted.
Prograis has only fought four times since his epic battle with Taylor in October 2019. The opportunity to be more active and earn more notoriety for his brand are some of the reasons why. Regis Prograis believes he made the right decision in choosing to sign Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing.
“With the contract that I just signed, it will have a lot of activities. More than I have done in the last few years.” Prograis went on to state, “I’m a two-time world champion, just like now they have guys bigger than me who haven’t been champions before.
I’ve been champion twice, and so right now, I feel it’s the right time, with the right platform, and it’s definitely the right move.”
Regis Prograis is confident that his career is about to rise to the next level thanks to the combination of his elite boxing skills and Matchroom Boxing background. Prograis has big plans that involve defending his title multiple times and then unifying the division, but first he has to take care of business in New Orleans on June 17, live on DAZN.
