Via Charles Brun: Newly crowned WBC lightweight champion Regis Prograis has a large group of fighters he wants to face after his 11th round knockout win over Jose Zepeda last Saturday night in Carson, California .
To get the guys Prograis wants, he’ll have to wait as everyone is busy right now except the former 140 lb WBC/WBO champion. Jose Ramirez (27-1, 17 KOs).
Ramirez, 30, is Prograis’ leading contender for his WBC belt, so it’s a logical choice for his next match in 2023. It’s a match Prograis has been looking forward to. wanted since 2018, but it never happened.
Prograis’ wishlist for his next fight:
- Josh Taylor
- Teofimo López
- Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis
- Ryan Garcia
- Jose Ramírez
However, Prograis will likely need to deal with less than he wants, because he may have scared off those at the top elite level he’s targeted with his overwhelming performance. ahead of knockout artist Zepeda (35-3, 27 KOs) at Dignity Health Sparks Parker in Carson.
Prograis (28-1, 24 KOs), who many boxing fans feel remains undefeated after a questionable 12-round decisive loss to Taylor in London, England, in 2019.
“The [Josh] Taylor’s story is personal, and that’s what I wanted,” Prograis told The DAZN . boxing program.
“I feel like a ‘man’ in the department right now; it’s just a personal thing.
“If I were my own manager, I wouldn’t have to go against Taylor; I can take many different routes, I can make a lot of money from many different places,” says Prograis.
“Winner Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia, Teofimo, Jose Ramirez,” Prograis said.
For now, it would be wise for Prograis to forget about 140 lb WBO champion Josh Taylor as he has a rematch with Jack Catterall in early 2023.
Catterall had Taylor’s number during their February clash in Glasgow, Scotland. The umpires awarded it to Taylor by decision to split 12 rounds, but Catterall was considered the winner by the boxing public.
Some would argue that Taylor, 31, is no longer the boxer he used to be after suffering a hefty penalty in a fight with Prograis in 2019.
Former Unified Lightweight Champion Teofimo López (17-1, 13 KOs) is heading towards the WBO title held by Taylor.
Teofimo showed no interest in fighting Prograis, so a fight between them probably wouldn’t happen.
