Josh Taylor suspects Regis Prograis really doesn’t want to come to the UK to fight him.
Taylor accused Prograis of “trying to pull out” of their 140-pound title unification fight during a “Gloves Are Off” preview show that’ll air soon on Sky Sports. Scotland’s Taylor feels Prograis wasn’t comfortable with Taylor being afforded as close to a home-ring advantage he could get without actually having one.
Their 12-round fight October 26, the final of the World Boxing Super Series’ 140-pound tournament, will take place at O2 Arena in London.
“[He was] trying to pull out because he [didn’t wanna] come over here,” Taylor said, with Prograis seated across the table from him. “Just all the stuff, all the management stuff, you know, all that carrying on behind the scenes, with Lou DiBella, trying to pull him out, doesn’t wanna come over here. So, that’s what I believe – he didn’t wanna come over here. But if it was in America, I’d have did that straight away, no questions asked.”
New Orleans’ Prograis shot back, “Why am I here right now?”
Taylor retorted, “Why the delay then?”
The bout between Prograis (24-0, 20 KOs), the WBA super lightweight champ, and Taylor (15-0, 12 KOs), the IBF junior welterweight title-holder, initially was scheduled for October 5.
Prograis and DiBella, his promoter, filed a lawsuit against the World Boxing Super Series and Comosa AG, the tournament’s financial backer, for breach of contract. The 29-year-old Prograis temporarily pulled out of the tournament when that lawsuit was filed August 9 in a U.S. District Court in New Jersey.
Prograis sought assurances regarding his purse before he agreed to move forward with the WBSS, which has endured financial challenges. Once Prograis’ financial issues with the WBSS and Comosa AG were resolved, his fight with Taylor was rescheduled for October 26.
“I don’t know how your contract went, but in my contract, I had some things that had to be tightened up,” Prograis told Taylor. “Now I’m gonna fight you, and I always knew I was gonna fight him. Like, it wasn’t about if I’m gonna fight [Taylor]. It was always about when I’m gonna fight him.”
Taylor then questioned why Prograis was talking about money.
“At first, that’s what I’m saying – I don’t know what you had in your contract,” Prograis replied. “But I had deadlines in my contract that were supposed to be met. And now, of course, they met ‘em. I already knew I was gonna fight you. I always wanted to fight you.”
Prograis-Taylor will be streamed by DAZN in the United States. It’ll headline a Sky Sports Box Office pay-per-view show in the United Kingdom (£19.95).
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
