Houston transplant Regis Prograis and foe Joel Diaz Jr. pit unbeaten records.
Regis Prograis and Joel Diaz Jr. put their undefeated records on the line Friday in a high-stakes junior welterweight showdown at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, N.Y. The bout will be the main event of a tripleheader of Showtime’s “ShoBox: The Next Generation.”
It will be the fourth bout on ShoBox for Prograis’ (19-0, 16 KOs) and his first against an opponent with a better record. Diaz (230, 19 KOs) has previously fought on ShoBox twice.
“It’s definitely a big risk for me, but after this fight something big should be coming up,” said Prograis, 28, who has trained in Houston since 2005. “We’re fighting in the Hall of Fame weekend in New York, and it’s the main event on Showtime, so it’s a bigger show than normal. This should put me on the top. After this, there should be a title eliminator or something at least close to the (world) title.”
The bout coincides with the 2017 weekend ceremony during which Evander Holyfield, Prograis’ former gymmate at the Savannah Boxing Club in Houston, will be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, 12 miles west of the fight venue.
“People that know me know that Mike Tyson is my favorite fighter and Holyfield beat him twice,” Prograis said. “He’s the only four-time heavyweight champion in the history of boxing. Fighting this weekend when he’s being inducted is amazing.”
ShoBox traditionally has been a vehicle for boxers to transition from prospects to contenders and champions by fighting other boxers of equal status. The vast majority of world titleholders, including Houston’s Jermell Charlo and Erislandy Lara, have fought on ShoBox at various junctures in their careers. At the same time, 163 boxers had their undefeated records snapped on the series.
“In the case of Regis and Joel, it means the winner legitimizes themselves as a top-10 contender,” said Gordon Hall, executive producer of ShoBox. “They have both had multiple appearances on ShoBox in step-up fights. Now both are facing their toughest test to date against each other with the winner positioning himself for a title shot in the near future.”
Statistically, the fight has less than a 20 percent chance of going the distance, given both fighters’ over-80 percent knockout ratio.
“I think I can do anything better than him,” said Prograis, who now trains at the Main Boxing Gym. “I know he’s a brawler, but at the same time I’m a true fighter. I love to brawl, but I can go out there and box him and be slick. If it comes down to it, we can bang it out and see who the stronger man is. I feel like I will be, and I feel like my defense is a little better than his.”
Trainer Bobby Benton said it will be imperative for Prograis to dictate the terms of the fight with a combination of methodology and machismo. He enlisted an array of boxers with both defensive and aggressive styles to spar with Prograis in preparation for Diaz, 25.
“(Diaz) is a real fighter with a Mexican style. He’s not real fast, but he can punch and he’s responsible defensively,” Benton said. “Regis has got to fight his fight. He can’t turn it into a dogfight.”
Arturo Marquez (7-0, 4 KOs), one of Prograis’ sparring partners, predicts Prograis’ ring generalship will be the deciding factor in the fight. Both fighters match up evenly in punching power, Marquez said, but Prograis’ superior defense and multidimensionality will tip the balance.
“Joel Diaz likes to put pressure, but I don’t see him having good boxing skills like Regis has,” Marquez said. “I think Regis is going to break him down as the rounds go by.”