Just as Ryan Garcia and promoter Golden Boy were embroiled in a legal beef and 140-pound WBC champion Regis Prograis was in the midst of a lackluster title defense, Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn fantasized about a fight between the two boxers. 

“You’ve got Ryan Garcia if he wants to fight for the world title – we can walk straight into that fight next,” Hearn told Fight Hub TV.

“F--- Oscar [De La Hoya]. The reality is, Oscar probably thinks I’m talking to Ryan Garcia. I’ve never had one conversation with Ryan Garcia. Never spoke to [Garcia manager and adviser] Lupe [Valencia]. I would not have those conversations while he was on the contract. Someone asked me my opinion about [De La Hoya] publically having spats with [Garcia] on social media, which I thought was bizarre. Oscar can do his own thing. It doesn't really bother me. The reality is, [Golden Boy] will only take fights they believe [Garcia] can win. They don’t think they can beat Regis Prograis because if they did, they’d be in touch, and we’d make that fight next. We’re both on the same platform [DAZN], so it’s easy. They’ve never mentioned Regis Prograis. Why? Because they think it’s a tough fight, and that’s what happens in boxing. They like the Rolly Romero fight. Why? Because they think they can beat Rolly Romero, but they don’t think they can beat Regis Prograis, and if they do, please call me, and we’ll make that fight next … There are loads of fights for Regis Prograis out there.” 

Prograis settled for a split decision win against Danielito Zorrilla during a homecoming bout in New Orleans in which the pair of pugilists landed a total of 84 punches combined – the fewest in a title fight ever tracked in CompuBox's 38-year history. Prograis also dropped Zorrilla in the fight. 

“I definitely felt like I won it. I didn’t see how they scored it for him, but I mean, whatever. I don’t think it was close, but I know my performance definitely wasn’t good,” Prograis said after the fight. “Sometimes you overlook things. I have so many opportunities for such crazy money. Sometimes you look past these opponents. Maybe I did do. I was looking past. I guess I was looking past Zorrilla."

Whether the 34-year-old Prograis (29-1, 24 KOs) was looking past Zorrilla with his eyes set on a menu of high-profiled matchups is a moot point after the meager performance. 

The super lightweight division is loaded with top talent featuring the likes of Garcia, Romero, Teofimo Lopez Jr., Josh Taylor, and Jose Ramirez, among several others. 

Prograis also called out undisputed lightweight king Devin Haney during a FaceTime call after the Zorrilla fight. 

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.