One of the rising stars in boxing, WBC interim junior welterweight titlist Regis Prograis will be fighting in his hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana for the first time as a pro on July 14 on a Top Rank card on ESPN. Not only is Prograis fighting at home for the first time he’s also headlining the card against likely opponent Juan Velasco as long as Velasco wins his fight Friday night and comes away uninjured.
Interestingly enough, the two guys who were supposed to fight each will be fighting a week apart, WBC junior welterweight titleholder Jose Ramirez will be fighting July 7th against Danny O’Connor.
Prograis has expressed his interest in entering the World Boxing Super Series tournament later this year so a fight between the two would likely be pushed back at least a year.
The promoters of both fighters have agreed to put the fight off until later as they hope to build what they believe to be a great fight into a great event. While this is a huge risk, it could pay off in the end if both guys can continue to progress as they have been doing since turning pro.
Prograis’ July 14 fight will air on ESPN and be used to help promote the fight between Manny Pacquiao and secondary welterweight titlist Lucas Matthysse. Pacquiao and Matthysse will meet on a pay-per-view that Top Rank and ESPN are putting on later that night live from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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