Regis Prograis sympathizes greatly with his rival, Teofimo Lopez Jr.

Prograis, the WBC 140-pound titlist, stated in a recent interview that Lopez, the newly crowned WBO 140-pound titlist, needs to come over to his side of the promotional pond, Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, for the kind of paydays that he apparently cannot get with his current team.

Lopez, 25, surprised fans last weekend when he announced his retirement shortly after picking up a banner unanimous decision win over Josh Taylor to become a two-division titlist at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. On Thursday, Lopez followed up his decision by casually informing the WBO that he would be vacating his belt.

Lopez has hinted, however, that his reason for pursuing retirement has largely to do with his dissatisfaction with his purses. Lopez, who is promoted by Top Rank, reportedly made $2.3 million for fighting Taylor but immediately after the fight the Brooklyn native complained that his takeaway was only $1 million. Lopez has also stated that he would only return to the sport if he can garner a contract worth at least $100,000,000.

Prograis, who briefly flirted with signing with Lopez’s promoter before inking a deal with Hearn, isn’t convinced that Lopez has actually retired. Moreover, he empathized with Lopez’s predicament. The solution? Prograis suggested Lopez could come fight on a Hearn-promoted card.

“No,” Prograis said on the Boxing With Chris Mannix podcast when asked if he thinks Lopez has retired. “Obviously, hell no. You know what, man, he need to come over to Matchroom and get paid. That’s what he need to do. He said he retired. They gave him one million dollars for that fight—that is insane. Bro, They feeding them breadcrumbs to the birds. You know, if they give you one million dollars for that fight—it’s true, man, they need to pay him what he’s worth. He got a million dollars for that, that’s just terrible.

“I definitely don’t think he’s gonna retire. It’s on his mind right now but money is always the biggest motivator. If he faces me, or Devin [Haney] or Ryan [Garcia] or somebody big, he’ll come back. And I know that all of those fights are big fights so I think his next fight will be his biggest purse he ever got by far. I don’t think he’s retired. I think that’s all bullsh!t.”

Sean Nam is the author of Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.