Regis Prograis’ preference is to remain within the 140-pound division and win back at least the WBA title Josh Taylor took from him.
He’ll have to wait for a rematch with Taylor, though, because the Scottish southpaw is on a collision course with Jose Ramirez for their own title unification fight. While waiting for the Ramirez-Taylor situation to play out, Prograis has his sights set on Maurice Hooker, the former champion Ramirez beat in their title unification clash six months ago.
“That’s the fight I definitely want,” Prograis told BoxingScene.com. “I’ve been wanting that fight. He wants the fight because we had history in the amateurs and stuff like that. We both want the fight, so I think, you know, we should definitely make it happen.”
Hooker predicted during an interview with BoxingScene.com late last month that he would “shock” Prograis if they fought. The ex-WBO junior welterweight champion also said he’d “make the fight easier than what people think it’s gonna be.”
The powerful Prograis (24-1, 20 KOs) would be favored over Hooker (27-1-3, 18 KOs) because he is a harder puncher and has displayed a more reliable chin. A Prograis-Hooker bout still is one of the most compelling matches that can be made in the 140-pound division.
“I think it would be explosive,” Prograis said. “I won’t lie – I think he’s a big puncher at 140. Everybody know I’m a big puncher. I think it would be explosive, but after what happened with Ramirez – Ramirez stopped him in the sixth round, I think – I really think as soon as I land that first punch, I’ll hurt him and I’ll stop him. I really think I’ll hurt him. He doesn’t have spectacular defense, nothing like that.
“With me, you just can’t get hit like that. That’s why I was calling him out a long time ago. He got dropped by Darleys Perez. He got dropped by Alex Saucedo. And then Jose Ramirez dropped him. He’s got a history of getting dropped. So, I definitely think as soon as I land that first punch, I’ll stop him right there.”
Prograis, who relocated from New Orleans to Houston after Hurricane Katrina decimated his hometown in August 2005, out-pointed Dallas’ Hooker in a 152-pound fight at the 2011 Texas Golden Gloves Tournament.
That setback kept Hooker from qualifying for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials. They have neither fought nor sparred since that bout, but both boxers hope to see each other again in their next fight.
“It’s a great fight,” Prograis said. “I think it’s a fight that I’ve been wanting and he’s been wanting. It’s a fight that he’s wanted since our amateur days. I don’t disrespect nobody, and I won’t tell lies. It was definitely a close fight in the amateurs, but I still won the fight. I think he always wanted that revenge because after that was when I qualified for the Olympic Trials at 152.
“So, I think he wants revenge and I wanna fight him. He’s been saying a lot of stuff. He been talking a lot of sh*t and it’s like, how you gonna talk sh*t, bro? You got stopped by Jose Ramirez. So, if Ramirez did that, I really feel like I can hurt Maurice Hooker.”
That said, Hooker appears to be the most proven, available 140-pound opponent Prograis could fight following his majority-decision defeat to Taylor on October 26 at O2 Arena in London. Taylor (16-0, 12 KOs) defended his IBF belt and won the WBA title from Prograis in the final of the World Boxing Super Series’ 140-pound tournament.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.