Kalle Sauerland, Chief Boxing Officer of the WBSS:

“Good afternoon London, it’s great to be here and this is it, the Super-Lightweight final for the Muhammed Ali Trophy. I am very honoured to be sitting up here with two great athletes, warriors, fighters, fighting for the greatest prize in boxing. The winner of this fight will be the best man in the division, we saw it with Oleksandr Usyk and Callum Smith and these guys have got here not because we have put them together in a great fight but because they fought the best to reach the final. 

“On Saturday we will see the best vs. the best to find out who the man to beat at this weight class is. In a day and age of so many titles and confusions in this sport, its nice nice to have a simplistic format of a quarter final, semi final and final and we have had some dramatic fights up until this point. 

“We’ve had both Prograis and Taylor become World Champions and now we have it, on Saturday on what we believe is one of the biggest stages in world boxing. We have seen so many great fights here over the years at The O2 and Saturday night is about the best vs the best, the caviar of boxing. Two guys putting it all on the line for us, they didn’t have to enter this tournament but they did it to put themselves on the line!

“Great credit to Prograis and to Taylor who have fought the best to be here, and were really looking forward to seeing the Champions League Final of boxing on Saturday night.”

Eddie Hearn: 

“What a card on Saturday night! Conor Benn, Lawrence Okolie going for the European title against Yves Ngabu, Shane McGuigan in his corner. A brilliant domestic battle between Ricky Burns and Lee Selby, a mouthwatering Heavyweight contest between Derek Chisora and David Price which is headlined by this amazing fight. 

“One of the great things about the WBSS is that not only are we getting the best vs. the best but we’re getting it very quickly. I have to be honest If I was promoting Josh Taylor after that amazing win in Glasgow I probably would have taken a couple of easy defences! The great thing about the tournament for the fans is that they go straight into a unification match. 

“The best fight in the 140lb division with both guys coming off stunning wins. Regis looked great in his win against Kiryl Relikh and I was lucking enough to be up in Scotland to watch Josh Taylor’s great performance against Baranchyk where he won the IBF World title. 

“The Ali Trophy is on the line in this fight but also the World Championship belts of both men and the vacant Ring Magazine belt as well! Whether you feel that the titles, the Ali Trophy or the Ring Magazine belts carry the most weight in boxing, they’re all on the line in this fight, so everybody should be happy that we’re getting the best vs the best. 

“I’ve not got any association with these two guys so I get to sit there as a fan and just watch a great fight! Regis Prograis is a man who has been talked about in the States for a long time. Lou DiBella has been blowing the horn of Regis for a long time and he has an incredible story coming from New Orleans where we know he is very popular. 

“Josh Taylor has exploded onto the scene with world class performances and I really believe that both guys have a great opportunity to become stand-out stars in the sport on Saturday night. We are going to have 15,000 fans packed into the arena and the atmosphere is going to be incredible. 

“As always we are live and exclusive on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK and we thank our partners DAZN in the states. I wish both guys the very best and Regis all the media you have done has been incredible. I can’t see anything but this being a fight of the year contender, we have been lucky enough to already have two fight of the year contenders in October and this can only follow suit. We can’t wait!”

Adam Smith, Head of Sky Sports Boxing:   

“I echo Eddie’s words and Kalle’s as well, its wonderful to have these two fighting at The O2! It’s a perfect finale to what has been a fantastic series and the winner of this is going to be in a phenomenal position. They are both wonderful fighters!

“This is going to be a great night from top to bottom with some wonderful fights on the card.”Regis Prograis – New Orleans, USA – 24-0, 20 KOs – fighting Josh Taylor in the WBSS Super-Lightweight Ali Trophy Final with the WBA, IBF & Ring Magazine World titles on the line:

“He should be able to land a solid, flush punch on me and when that happens, nothing will happen. When that happens, things will change, he will realise that I am an iron-man with an iron jaw. Once he lands his hardest shot and I look at him with a face of disdain, he will think: ‘damn, I’m in trouble’.

“I’m versatile, that’s the biggest differences. My last 10 fights look different. When I hit you, I hurt you.

“It was a great thing to come here three weeks ago because I am comfortable and adjusted to the weather, food, people.

“Josh is the best in the world – apart from me. He’s taller, he’s longer. Does he hit harder? Maybe, maybe not. Faster? Maybe, maybe not. Better chin? Maybe, maybe not. The tale of the tape never matters. What matters is heart and boxing IQ, and mine are so high. That will be the difference.

“He gets hit. Josh has been hurt against Ivan Baranchyk and Viktor Postol who aren’t punchers like me. They’re not sharp, crisp like me, they don’t have the timing that I do.

“After his fight in Scotland I told him: ‘If you get hit by the same punches by me, you’ll get hurt.'”Josh Taylor – Prestonpans, Scotland – 15-0, 12 KOs – fighting Regis Prograis in the WBSS Super-Lightweight Ali Trophy Final with the WBA, IBF & Ring Magazine World titles on the line:

“Twenty-two of his fights have been against absolute nobodies, people who haven’t fought since, journeyman. It is a padded record.

“I don’t think it’s about tiny percentages – I’m quite a bit better than him in every department. Speed, power, timing, skill. I do it all better than him. He hasn’t been tested, he hasn’t been hit by anyone. He hasn’t fought anybody with the desire that I’ve got, or the skill-set that I’ve got.

“He’s not under my skin. I’m ready to fight. My mind-set is starting to change now, I’m in fight mode. I’m sick of the sight of him.”

Shane McGuigan, trainer of Josh Taylor:

“It’s the pinnacle of boxing isn’t it. It’s two World Champions boxing each other for a unified title on Sky Sports Box Office at The O2 arena. It’s something that, as Eddie mentioned, Josh has kind of gone under the radar and bounced onto the scene. We’ve spent four years working behind closed doors with Josh Taylor, building him up and making sure that he’s prepped and ready for this occasion.

“Camp has gone brilliantly, everyone always says that but it really has gone brilliantly. He’s razor sharp and he’s ready for whatever Prograis brings to the table. I think you see the best of Josh Taylor whenever he’s up against it, he’s definitely up against it on Saturday night. Prograis is a good puncher, he’s got very good distance and control and they’re raving about him in the states. I know my man is going to win and I don’t believe that it’s going to go the distance.”

Lou DiBella, promoter of Regis Prograis:

“When you see something like what happened to Patrick Day you realise just how much you have to appreciate the men and women that walk into that ring for our entertainment and the risks they take to entertain us. One of the best examples of that is coming this Saturday night. The two best 140lbers in the world are going to meet in the final of the World Boxing Super Series. 

“I have nothing but respect for Josh Taylor. You’re not going to hear me say a negative word about him or his team. I have long believed that the two best 140lbers in the world are Regis Prograis and Josh Taylor. I think on Saturday night Regis is going to prove that he is the number one 140lber on the planet and Josh is number two. Josh’s team feel differently. Time will tell. 

“At this moment in time it is hard for me to be as enthusiastic as I might otherwise be but I’ll tell you that I am expecting a great sporting event, a great boxing match and the best of what our sport can offer on Saturday night. My greatest wish for both of these guys, other than a Regis Prograis win which I expect, is that they both leave after giving a tremendous effort where they give everything that they have and they go home healthy to their families.”

Sam Katkovski, manager of Regis Prograis:

“I want to thank everybody for being so courteous to us here and making us feel at home. I want to thank our whole team for the past eight weeks of camp, from training, to PR, to marketing. They’ve all done a tremendous job.

“But most importantly I want to thank Regis. He has really embraced it, done everything that we have asked him to do and he’s loved doing every single one of them. He loves the UK fans and we’ve been promoting this fight feeling like we’re at home.

“Now we’re two days away we’re excited and we can’t wait. In two days the whole world will see his talent. October 26, buy the PPV and buy the few remaining tickets. You’re about to see a man continue to build his legacy and this fight is part of his legacy.”  

Josh Taylor has warned Regis Prograis against turning their highly-anticipated World Boxing Super Series Ali Trophy Final into a “dog fight” and insists that he possesses the power to knock his opponent “spark out” should the chance present itself.

The fierce Super-Lightweight rivals are days away from locking horns at The O2 in London in a fascinating match-up of two unbeaten southpaws with the WBA and IBF World titles also on the line, shown live on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK and DAZN in the US.

Proud Scotsman Taylor is oozing confidence ahead of his biggest fight to date against American foe Prograis in what will be the first defence of the IBF crown that he ripped from heavy-handed slugger Ivan Baranchyk at the The SSE Hydro in Glasgow earlier this year.

“The two best lads in the division are going for it,” said Taylor. “We are both undefeated, we are both hungry, both hungry for more success so it’s going to be a real interesting fight. I’m all about my speed, reactions and timing.

“My footwork is very good. I can offset you with feints and timing, but I punch real hard as well for someone of my size. I wouldn’t say I was a concussive, one-punch knockout artist, but I know if I hit you, you’re either going down or you’re going to be hurt and in trouble. So, I definitely think I can do a bit of everything.

“We’ll just have to wait and see how he comes out when that first bell rings. We can predict how he is going to fight and things like that, but you never know until that bell rings. It might be a skillful match throughout the entire fight, or we could just lock horns and fight, or a bit of both. You never know.

“I’m very confident that I can outbox him and outfight him as well. I can’t see anything other than a Josh Taylor win. If he tries to make it a ‘dog fight’, tries to walk me down and drag me into a fight, he is getting chinned. I will knock him spark out!”

Prograis vs. Taylor tops a huge night of action in London.

Liverpool Heavyweight fan favourite David Price (25-6, 20 KOs) steps in to face Derek Chisora (31-9, 22 KOs) in a huge all-British clash, three weight World Champion Ricky Burns (43-7-1, 16 KOs) tackles former IBF Lightweight ruler Lee Selby (27-2, 9 KOs) in an intriguing match-up at 135lbs, Yves Ngbu (20-0, 14 KOs) makes the third defence of his EBU European Cruiserweight title against Lawrence Okolie (13-0, 10 KOs), Conor Benn (15-0, 10 KOs) defends his WBA Continental Welterweight title against late replacement Steve Jamoye (26-7-2, 5 KOs), German Super-Middleweight talent Denis Radovan (12-0-1, 5 KOs) meets former Commonwealth Champion Luke Blackledge (26-8-2, 9 KOs), Watford Bantamweight prospect Shannon Courtenay (3-0, 1 KO) aims to go 4-0, Houston Middleweight talent Austin Williams (3-0, 3 KOs) fights in the UK for the first time and Berlin’s Abass Baraou (7-0, 4 KOs) takes on John O’Donnell (33-2, 11 KOs) for the WBC International Super-Welterweight title.

Tickets priced £40, £60, £80, £100, £200 and £500 (VIP) are available to purchase from StubHub (www.stubhub.co.uk), The O2 (www.theo2.co.uk) and Matchroom Boxing (www.matchroomboxing.com).

London, England (October 17, 2019) Training in London, England, for his second week, WBA Super Lightweight and WBC Diamond Belt World Champion
Regis “Rougarou” Prograis (24-0, 20 KOs), of Los Angeles, CA, via New Orleans, LA, opened camp for a large contingent of local media just nine days prior to his highly anticipated unification clash with IBF Super Lightweight World Champion Josh “The Tartan Tornado” Taylor (15-0, 12 KOs), of Glasgow, Scotland, at the famed O2 Arena in London, England, on Saturday, October 26. The fight marks the finals of the World Boxing Super Series with the winner being awarded the Ali Trophy and will be telecast on DAZN in the United States and Sky Sports Box Office in the United Kingdom.

Under the watchful eye of longtime trainer Bobby Benton, the DiBella Entertainment-promoted Prograis spoke about the upcoming bout.

“I absolutely cannot wait to get in the ring next Saturday night, it’s been a long camp in Los Angeles, then Houston, now London, but come October 26, it will all be worth it. He can’t beat me and he knows it. I’m the best 140-pound fighter in the world and I’ll prove that next Saturday night.

“I was never scared of Taylor, that’s just complete nonsense coming from him and he’ll know that when we fight. Next Saturday night will be very special for the fans at the O2 Arena and those watching the fight around the world. I’m going to put on a show.

“This fight is everything I’ve wanted, to show people that I am the best at 140 pounds. It’s nice to see the rankings and hear people say it, but I always wanted to prove it in the ring.”

In his last bout during the semi-final round of the World Boxing Super Series, Prograis dominated and stopped WBA Super Lightweight World Champion Kiryl Relikh in the sixth round on April 27, 2019.

Prograis is currently ranked the #1 Super Lightweight by Ring Magazine in addition to being ranked the #9 Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World by Yahoo Sports.

Eddie Hearn:

Good afternoon everyone, thank you for being here today for a very special press conference ahead of our huge show on October 26 at The O2 Arena, live on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK and DAZN.

What a card, what a main event and what a group of fighters we have here today. The Unification match up, the Ali Trophy, The World Boxing Super Series Final between Regis Prograis the WBC Diamond, WBA World Champion and Josh Taylor the IBF World 140lb champion. It’s an absolutely brilliant fight, I was lucky enough to be there in Glasgow when Josh Taylor won the World title against Baranchyk in the Semi-Finals and I am delighted to be working alongside Kalle Sauerland and the WBSS to bring this to Sky Sports Box Office on a huge card.

You have only got to look at the names, I feel a bit bad that these guys are on a bottom table if there was such a thing. Three-weight World Champion Rick Burns, former World Featherweight Champion Lee Selby, Conor Benn, Yves Ngabu, Lawrence Okolie brilliant European Cruiserweight match-up as well and of course Derek Chisora against Joseph Parker. The two came head-to-head in Los Angeles last week, we’ll be bringing you exclusive content of that. Parker is now in camp, he’s underway.

Adam Smith:

What a monster, monster show it really is a fantastic one. October 26, at The O2, we were treated by Vasiliy Lomachenko’s brilliance and Luke Campbells superb display as well and an amazing atmosphere the other week. Its a special place the O2 and it is going to be lit up by this card. As Eddie said the bottom table shouldn’t be. Ricky Burns is a three-weight World Champion that we have worked with for many years, Lee Selby, utter class down there. A fantastic European Title fight and Conor Benn is going great guns. Look up here, I know we are missing Joseph Parker but Derek Chisora and Joseph Parker is a wonderful Heavyweight fight in the blue-ribbon division. It’s a mouthwatering fight, Derek finding form even at this stage of his career and you never quite know what you’re going to get, what a terrific knockout against Artur Szpilka last time. Joseph Parker is young and hungry and wants to play a real part in this division.

As for this one, the World Super Series Final, Kalle I am so glad you have brought the guys to us. I’ve wanted Josh Taylor on Sky for so many years. We had him on the Semi-Final, that was fantastic. I wasn’t there that night in Scotland as we were in America but I cannot wait to be ringside for this. This young man to my right Regis Prograis could be a real superstar of this sport. He is dangerous, exciting and unbeaten like they both are. It’s a terrific top of the bill and I think it is one of the best cards Eddie you have put on in a long time. We’re not going to miss this one.

Kalle Sauerland: 

It’s great to be in London, it’s great to be putting this fantastic Ali Trophy final on and we have to thank Matchroom and Sky Sports Box Office for providing this great platform at The O2 in London. The atmosphere there is incredible and is fitting for this super final. This is it, the Champions League of boxing, the Super-Lightweight final. As a fan this is my peak, this is the one that when we set it out this was the golden final. The ticket to the Ali Trophy and it is a dream to have both guys, two undefeated and very young fighters with huge personalities. Two fighters who will come forward, both slick in different ways and both amazing to work with. It’s not often you see the best going against the best, this is one of the fights of the year and is an amazing card from top to bottom.

Conor Benn:

My career has been a rollercoaster. It feels like I have been pro for a long while but really it’s only been four or five years. It’s been so dramatic but I know that I have Britain behind me and all these learning fights are going to put me in good stead for the future. I have been dropped twice and managed to get back up off the canvas, put the other opponent down twice, boxed ten rounds, been cut and had injuries all these things. I am only 22 so when I am 25, 26 these things won’t be anything new to me so as far as I am aware, I’m on course and I’m excited to have a great year.

As I get older my man strength is coming and people are going to get laid out clean. They are not going to get back up! My last fight was expected to be a hard fight and when I looked at him I thought I’m in trouble here and then he came out flying in the first round and I managed to get him out of there. If people want to come and have it with me I will have it back with them. If I go down, then they’re going down with me. I’m not worried who they put in front of me, whoever it is there it will be the same outcome and I am going to go out there and do one job and one job only.

Yves Ngabu:

I came here one year ago to the UK with a plan, the first was to win my fight and the second was to fight the number one from the UK who is Lawrence Okolie. Lawrence is a good fighter but I know where I want to go and to get where I want to get – these are the things I have to do and get out of my way. 

I am focused on my work and we are going to see on October 26 how I am going to beat him. He is a good fighter, he is tall and strong and everything until now he has done perfectly but I believe I can beat him and I believe I am stronger than him.

Lawrence Okolie:

I’m happy to be here, shoutout to Josh Taylor. This is going to be the third Champion I have boxed. I have beaten the British Champion, beaten the Commonwealth Champion and I am looking forward to beating the European Champion next. I’ve seen a lot of interviews with him and I like the way he speaks, he speaks very confidently. I’m just looking forward to going through training camp and then going to work.

It is going to be a very exciting fight, he has got a style which is opposite to mine. He is a come-forward fighter who also knows how to box with good counter-punching. There is going to be a lot of things to deal with on the night but I will deal with them all comfortably and go on from there. The most important thing is to make weight in seven weeks and we can go from there.

Lee Selby:

The O2 has been great to me and I have boxed there more than any other venue. I won the Lonsdale belt there, won and defended my World title and now I am back there on October 26. I’ve got a tough opponent in front of me, Ricky Burns is a former three-weight World Champion and to be a World Champion and defend it once you have got to be a great fighter, to do it twice you have got to be brilliant and to do it at three different weights, you’re elite. I have got the upmost respect for Ricky Burns and we shared the ring back in 2014. He got me in for sparring in preparation for his fight with Crawford and from what I can remember it was great sparring, up and down. After each session, everyone in the gym would give us a standing ovation so if the sparring is anything to go by then we are in for a treat.

A few years back when I was British Champion making Featherweight was a real struggle and I remember you asking me Eddie, “how do you make the weight?”. The sacrifices and some of the stuff I had to do to make the weight you wouldn’t believe. Losing the World title was very upsetting but it was a weight lifted off my shoulders, I can fight at a more comfortable weight and I’m in the gym and feeling good.

Ricky Burns:

I’ve finally got a fight over the line, it has been a frustrating year for myself. We have had a couple of fights being spoke about but they fell through. My last fight was in November last year but we have pulled it out the bag with this one. I know that I am in for a tough fight, as Lee said, we sparred before and he came up to help me when I was boxing Crawford and I can always remember when we were sparring I said to him he “you’re so big for a Featherweight, how do you do it?”. It was competitive sparring and like I said, on the night the best man will win. I just feel like I am going out there to do a job, training has been going well so far and I can’t wait for October 26.

David Haye:

We know what Parker brings to the table, he is well established. More importantly he holds that all important win over Andy Ruiz Jr who is arguably the number one Heavyweight on the planet after the crazy stoppage victory he got over AJ in New York which I was ringside for. For me, Derek getting that win against Parker means more than just a win. It really catapults him up there to the top players in the division and he has shown time and time again that he can come again. Last time out against Artur Szpilka his training camp hadn’t gone well, sparring was a struggle but he managed to get it together in the last two sparring sessions. Fortunately the universe works in strange ways and I was in the Hayemaker gym round the corner today watching Derek Sparring for the first time since that fight in his first real war sparring and he is back. He is in a better place now seven weeks out than he was on fight night last time out. The fact he hasn’t had long out the gym and is back working hard means he is a great spot and he is going to build on what we brought to Artur Szpilka at the O2, an arena where he has a great history. Parker is in shape and is going to come to win this fight and I think it is going to be an absolute barnstormer. 

Dave Coldwell will no longer be training Derek Chisora because of a logistical issue in the sense that Dave couldn’t come down to London and Derek wasn’t able to get up to Dave. We will make an announcement in the coming weeks who will be in the corner but if sparring is anything to go by you are in for an absolute treat and Joseph Parker would never have had the heat that is going to be brought to him on October 26.

Derek Chisora:

I’m bringing war, I’m not playing. This is my show. Boxing is thriving because of the Heavyweights. Mike Tyson said it when AJ knocked out Klitschko, the money is back in the division. I want more money if I’m not headlining the show!

Josh Taylor:

I’m really looking forward to fighting for the first time in London, headlining at The O2 and I am so excited for it, I can’t wait.

I am fully confident going in to this fight. I am bigger than him, stronger, quicker and punch just as hard – I can beat him in every department. If he comes and tries to walk me down then I believe that he will walk onto a shot and I will get him out of there, if not I can outbox him for the full 12 rounds. I am fully confident I can win this fight either way It goes so I am happy and excited to be here. I have always wanted to box on a big show in London and I’ve been to watch shows here in the past. I am so excited to be headlining and to be a part of a great night.

I believe myself and Regis are one and two in the division – we’re the two guys to beat. We will prove this on October 26 and I feel like this is my time to shine. I can’t see him beating me at all and I am super confident. However it goes you will see a Josh Taylor win, I can’t see anything other than a win for myself.

Barry McGuigan MBE:

These are the two best Super-Lightweight fighters in the world. Prograis is a tremendous puncher, very aggressive and he can box on the back foot too – he is very exciting to watch. Josh Taylor has improved rapidly since he has turned pro. We have moved him very aggressively and I think that he is the best 140lb fighter in the world. 

Regis Prograis:

I am so glad to be here and I am so excited for October 26. It has been a dream for me for a long time to come and fight in London, the fans over here are some of the best in the world. For me, there is no animosity towards anybody and most fighters don’t get this chance in a lifetime. You have got four things on the line, my title, his title, the Ali Trophy and the Ring Magazine belt. I had a late start but a lot of fighters have been fighting for 20 or 30 years and never have got this opportunity. For me to be here is the opportunity of a life-time and this is about personal legacy right now.

To be getting this chance in London, at The O2 – I can’t wait! This is number one and number two, two undefeated fighters in their prime, both champions – sometimes you have two champions but they’re not number one and number two but this time it’s two prime undefeated guys. This is a huge show and I am so excited to be a part of it. Everybody that I have fought was supposed to be an even, 50-50 fight but I dominated. He is taller and longer than me but the tale of the tape doesn’t matter to me. You can’t determine my hook by the tale of the tape or my boxing IQ. I don’t just want to repeat what he said but I really cannot see how he can beat me. I am not being cocky or arrogant but I just can’t see it. He’s been hurt in his last fight and he was dropped too. The past is the past and this is going to be me and him and I think he will bring his A game like I will – this is going to be one hell of a fight.

I am not going to predict what round I will win I am just going to go out there and do my thing. Just like I always say, I go out there and I have fun and I do my thing. If I hurt him or knock him out I don’t know but so far I have been dominating and that’s what I plan to do on October 26.

Sam Katkovski:

We are so glad that everything got sorted out and was finalised – we cannot wait for October 26. We are coming to fight and will be finishing our camp over here in the UK – we’re looking forward to a great fight. Regis is special in and outside of the ring and to be able to fight on such a massive show is amazing and the winner will establish themselves in the P4P rankings. The winner potentially goes on to fight to be Undisputed for all four belts and that will be Regis Prograis. Every time he has told how he was going to do something that’s how it happened – all I am expecting is the same on October 26.

Junior Welterweight titlist Regis Prograis is in talks to re-enter the World Boxing Super Series, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

Prograis left the tournament last week after organizers failed to meet financial obligations.

“We always wanted to resolve this and right now that is what we are attempting to do,” Lou DiBella, Prograis’ promoter, told ESPN on Monday. “Regis doesn’t want to sit out and he wants to win the tournament.”

“WBSS strenuously denies that it has violated any contractual obligation towards Regis Prograis or DiBella Entertainment Inc. The WBSS has enforced its tournament contracts in the past. It will do so again with all resources available if needed.

“We look forward to the upcoming final of the (junior welterweights) for the Ali Trophy between Regis Prograis and Josh Taylor. It promises to be a spectacular boxing night. WBSS will defend the tournament against any attempts of third parties to interfere with the tournament with all means and in all jurisdictions available as necessary.”

Today in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, Regis Prograis and DiBella Entertainment, Inc. filed for a declaratory judgment that Comosa AG, the owner of the World Boxing Super Series, has breached its contractual obligations to Prograis and DBE. Prograis and DBE further informed Comosa that Prograis is withdrawing from the WBSS, effective immediately.

Today’s action is the result of a long and repeated pattern of behavior by Comosa that includes late payments, scheduling delays, bad faith representations, missed deadlines, and broken promises. A recitation of this behavior can be found in the Complaint filed today.

There is no one more disappointed by this turn of events than Regis Prograis, who has expressed his desire to unify the super lightweight division on a number of occasions. Comosa was provided every opportunity to see the WBSS to conclusion but it failed at every turn to meet its obligations to the contracted fighters. This action was commenced only after Prograis and DBE determined, as a result of Comosa’s conduct, that his participation in this venture was no longer possible.

DBE and Prograis will not be making any further comment beyond the content of this statement and the Complaint.

By Bart Barry-

After two weeks of exhibitionist fare boxing returned Friday and Saturday to competitive and excellent matches, excellent for being competitive. Or maybe the passive voice delivers better here: Boxing got returned to competitiveness by DAZN. The aficionado’s platform delivered simple, striking excellence Friday, with its broadcast of Mexican Juan Francisco Estrada’s super flyweight rematch with Thailand’s Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. Then the next round of the World Boxing Super Series happened Saturday with two of its semifinal matches, Regis Prograis versus Kiryl Relikh and Nonito Donaire versus Stephon Young.

They were all three of a piece and beautiful for the same reason: They participated in a genuine pursuit of the best available competition by identifying that competition and then going to it.

Friday’s participants had the benefit of having already identified, through their own perseverance and courage, the very best opposition they might face, and then, bless their exceptional spirits, chosen to face each other once more. Saturday’s participants, two of the four anyway, did their level best to identify what men would challenge them properly – with one of the other two a latenotice replacement and the fourth, Donaire, having previously identified such men and done his best against them.

More about that in a bit if space and endurance allow, but back to the main event among main events, back to a fight unlikely to be surpassed the rest of this year. No, Estrada-Sor Rungvisai 2 was not what mindless madness we bestow yearend honorifics upon but rather two of the world’s very best prizefighters in their primes and fighting one another best they were able. More clearly written, even had Errol Spence and Mikey Garcia been the exact same size, they’d not have been able to match Estrada and Sor Rungvisai for quality; Spence lacks Sor Rungvisai’s experience like Garcia lacks Estrada’s complexity.

There is, as a matter of fact, no current prizefighter who has on his resume a man better than the man whom Sor Rungvisai took from prime to pursuing-other-career-opportunities. If you take the best win on the resumes of each of prizefighting’s five best practitioners currently and add all those men all together, they just about equal the Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez whom Sor Rungvisai decisioned then slept in a halfyear’s time.

Eight pounds and 6 1/2 years ago Chocolatito put it on Estrada thoroughly, and it made Estrada better – and that makes Estrada exceptional. Friday was about Estrada more than Sor Rungvisai. The man aficionados who know what’s what affectionately call The Rat King showed up and made the sort of fight he makes every time, and if DAZN’s mediocre broadcasting crew didn’t realize how close the fight was it was because their headsets precluded them from hearing punches well as the judges did – as, below a din of babbling groupthink, Sor Rungvisai’s body punches, to which he committed from the very start, made audible confirmations of what tariffs they exacted from Estrada’s awesome initiative. And it was indeed awesome.

Estrada showed Sor Rungvisai the same lack of respect that canvassed Chocolatito in March 2017 then savasana-d him in September that year. After 12 rounds of tasting power from a man who’s much of it as anyone fighting, Estrada went after Sor Rungvisai like he’d no inkling who Sor Rungvisai was. This column is proof you can write about our beloved sport 14 years and think about it in your spare time, too, and still not be very close to explaining how a man does what Estrada did – delusion himself into believing a man who beat a man who beat him, and who also punched him hard and often 14 months ago, is so much less than the sum of those accomplishments he might go after him directly if given another chance.

Estrada fulfilled every definition of courage Friday. With both an outcome and his own health in doubt Estrada chose to go first. Compare that statement to the very best you might say or write about what Terence Crawford did a couple Saturdays ago or Vasiliy Lomachenko did the week before that. Among the world’s best prizefighters, and Estrada is exactly that, the nearest one comes to a man making Estrada’s choices is Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, and we’re not allowed to celebrate him too loudly because he’s both overcompensated and guilty of bodypunching the shine right off yesteryear’s embellishment, the former “most feared” champion now readying to make a June war on Canada’s fourth-best middleweight.

Saturday’s fights were excellent and suffer only if one happens to watch them immediately before or after Estrada-Sor Rungvisai 2. No matter how much they might suffer by comparison, anyway, they are redeemed by the tournament that made them happen, even if that tournament’s masterminds have yet to realize their fights do not belong in American venues or any venues unknown to boxing and farflung as Lafayette, La.

Nonito Donaire, a subject of sympathy through his opening 10 minutes with Ryan Burnett in November, now finds himself the WBSS’ unlikeliest finalist yet, after hooksawing poor Stephon Young in Saturday’s comain. Donaire did not belong in the semifinals but Young belonged there much less, and Donaire played him a 2007 Vic Darchinyan remix to prove it.

The evening’s mainevent and ostensible reason WBSS stubbornly returns to empty Louisiana arenas, Regis “Rougarou” Prograis, beat the joy out a very good Belarusian super lightweight named Kiryl Relikh, causing Relikh and his corner and referee Luis Pabon to conclude as one the match needed concluding at its midway point. On his shield Relikh did not retire, but the result’d’ve doubtfully changed had he tried to do so.

Were this another tired exhibition on premium cable or its cheaper counterparts there’d be plenty of reason to doubt Prograis is good as he looks. But that’s the blessed thing about this WBSS tournament (and the Super Six before it): If Prograis turns out to be peerless it will be from his lessening his every peer.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Regis Prograis dominated Kiryl Relikh on his way to a 6th round stoppage to win the WBA Super Lightweight title and advance in the World Boxing Super Series at the Cajundome in Lafyette, Louisiana

In round one, Prograis landed a left to the body that badly hurt Relikh. Prograis followed Relikh, and landed two more punches that put Relikh on the canvas. In round two, Relikh was cut on the bridge of his nose from a hard straight left from Prograis.

In round six, Prograis continued to pound away at Relikh, and the bout was stopped at 1:36.

Prograis, 139 lbs of New Orleans is now 24-0 wth 20 knockouts. Relikh, 139 lbs of Minsk, BEL is 23-3.

Nonito Donaire retained the WBA Bantamweight title with an explosive 7th round stoppage over late-replacement Stephon Young.

Donaire landed a thunderous left hook, that sent Young down and out on his back and the fight was stopped at 2:37

Donaire, 117 lbs of the Philippines is 40-5 with 26 knockouts. Young, 117 lbs of St. Louis is 18-2-3.

SAN ANTONIO, TX (April 16, 2019) – Undefeated NABF Women’s lightweight champion, Selina “Aztec Queen” Barrios (5-0, 2 KOs), returns to the ring April 27, 2019, against former world champion, Melissa “The Shark” Hernandez (22-7-3, 7 KOs). The six-round bout will take place at the Cajundome in Lafayette, LA, as a special feature attraction on the WBSS super-lightweight semi-final card, headlined by Regis Prograis (23-0, 19 KOs) vs. Kiryl Relikh (23-2, 19 KOs).

Barrios, who has defeated three undefeated fighters in a row, last fought in September of 2018. She is eager to get back in the ring against a game opponent like Hernandez, who has been in the ring with many of the best female boxers in the world.

“I have a lot of respect for Melissa Hernandez, who has been a big part of growing women’s boxing over the years,” said Barrios, who resides in San Antonio, Texas. “This fight is going to be a classic Mexican vs. Purto Rican war. No disrespect to her, but I’m coming with straight heat, with the mindset of beating her down. This is the hurt game and that’s what I plan to do to Hernandez when she steps in the ring with me. None of these girls want to see me.”

“We know Melissa Hernandez is a dangerous fighter with a lot of experience,” said Barrios’ advisor Kerry Daigle. “Once DAZN sees this fight we feel it will be the swing bout on TV. Barrios is extremely TV friendly.”

“We believe Selina is the best female fighter in the world,” stated co-manger Colin Campbell. “With that being said, a win against a crafty veteran like Hernandez will surly give us the momentum we need going into our next fight.”

In exactly one month American Regis Prograis (23-0, 19 KOs), the WBC 140lb Diamond champion, will be battling Belarus’ WBA title-holder Kiryl Relikh (23-2, 19 KOs) in the WBSS super-lightweight semi-final at the Cajundome in Lafayette, LA, USA.

Tuesday afternoon the New Orleans native, who is now living and training in Houston, entered the pre-fight press conference at the Cajundome oozing confidence on the top of a fire truck.

“I’m very excited to be here,” said Prograis who will be giving free tickets to first responders to attend the fight. “It’s like perfect here in Lafayette because it is the middle ground between New Orleans and Houston, my two homes. I just can’t wait to get it on!

“Hopefully, we’re going to fill this stadium up and it’s going to be one of the biggest events this city has ever seen. This is not a city, state, national … this is a world event. This show will be all over the whole world.”

Prograis’ manager, Sam Katkovski, talked about the magnitude of fighting for the Muhammad Ali Trophy, the greatest prize in boxing.

“I went to Moscow last year with Regis and his trainer Bobby (Benton) to watch the cruiserweight final of the World Boxing Super Series and saw the presentation of the Muhammad Ali Trophy for the first winner Aleksandr Usyk,” said Katkovski and continued:

“I don’t think I have seen a trophy that incredible. If you don’t know who Muhammad Ali is I don’t know where you been the last 50-60 years. But the fact he was able to give his name to this trophy and the fact that we are fighting for it is an honour for myself and Regis … to be fighting for a trophy of that calibre.”

‘Rougarou’, the tournament No. 1 seed, is thriving under the big lights in the quest for the Muhammad Ali Trophy.

“To be around the final in Moscow was very inspiring,” said Prograis. “The Ali Trophy is huge! I am a student of boxing, I am a student of the game and to me, Ali is a boxing god.

“I think the WBSS is a real good platform for boxers because it’s the best fighting the best. You can’t run around or hide behind managers and promoters and I want to fight world champions, former world champions and undefeated fighters in order to show I’m the legitimate best at 140.”

Trainer Bobby Benton feels assured that his boxer will take home the Trophy in the super-lightweight division.

“I am 100% confident of Regis beating Relikh and going all the way and win the tournament,” said Benton. “It’s fun training Regis, he is special. He makes me look good.”

The sensational doubleheader event on April 27 card also sees WBA champion American-Filipino Nonito Donaire (39-5, 25 KOs) square off with South Africa’s WBO champion Zolani Tete (28-3, 21 KOs) in the 118-pound bantamweight semi-final and a stacked undercard.

Tickets starting at $25 for the WBSS Super-Lightweight and Bantamweight Semi-Finals on April 27 at the Cajundome in Lafayette, LA are available from TicketMaster here.

Fans in the U.S. and Canada can watch all the Ali Trophy semi-finals LIVE, exclusively on DAZN.

WBSS Season 2 Semi-Finals:
Bantamweight
Nonito Donaire vs Zolani Tete – 27 April, Cajundome, Lafayette, LA, USA
Naoya Inoue vs Emmanuel Rodriguez – 18 May, SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland
Super-Lightweight
Regis Prograis vs Kiryl Relikh – 27 April, USA, Cajundome, Lafayette, LA, USA
Josh Taylor vs Ivan Baranchyk – 18 May, SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland
Cruiserweight
Mairis Briedis vs Krzysztof Glowacki – 15 June, Arena Riga, Riga, Latvia
Yunier Dorticos vs Andrew Tabiti – 15 June, Arena Riga, Riga, Latvia

Los Angeles, CA (March 22, 2019) On one of his final days of training in Southern California, WBC Diamond Super Lightweight Champion and the #1 Ranked Super Lightweight Regis “Rougarou” Prograis (23-0, 19 KOs), of New Orleans, LA, swung open the doors of his training camp to the media in Santa Monica, CA.

Promoted by DiBella Entertainment, Prograis will head to Houston, TX, next week as he continues preparations for his world championship showdown against WBA 140-pound World Champion Kiryl Relikh (23-2, 19 KOs), of Minsk, Belarus, in the semi-finals of the World Boxing Super Series set for Saturday, April 27, at the Cajundome, in Lafayette, LA. The fight will be telecast in the United States on DAZN.

Below are quotes from Regis at the media workout.

REGIS “ROUGAROU” PROGRAIS

“This is my biggest fight, my first true world title fight and, mentally, the biggest fight of my career. Nothing will stop me from getting this belt.”

“I believe we will have a very big crowd on April 27. It’s about a two-hour drive from New Orleans and my fans have been wanting to see me fight for a world title.”

“Training camp is always hard, but we make it as fun as possible. I started training here for two weeks and then finish in Houston until fight week.”

“Hopefully, at the end of this tournament, I’ll be a unified world champion and have the Ali Trophy. The best fighters in the 140-pound division are in this tournament.”

“I felt great in my first tournament fight against Terry Flanagan. It was a fun fight and I was very relaxed. It was one of my best performances.”

“I can change my style if I have to. Whatever Relikh tries, I can beat him at it. Like always, whatever I feel like doing is going to happen. No one at 140 can stop me.”

“After Relikh, I want the rest of the belts. Just like Terence Crawford did, I want to become undisputed champion at 140. If I become undisputed at 140, it’s much better than what he did as the competition is much better right now. This batch of 140lb. champions are much more talented than who he beat to become undisputed.”

“As long as the other belt holders don’t hide behind their promoters and networks, I’ll have the opportunity to become undisputed, that’s my goal. I want to prove what people are saying about me being the best 140lb. fighter in the word. It’s nice to have it said, but I want to prove it in the ring.”

“I can make 140 comfortably. When I move up to 147, I’ll be even stronger.”

“Jose Ramirez almost lost his last fight. Imagine if he got hit by me with the shots that Zepeda hit him with. He would have gotten badly hurt and knocked out for sure.”

“Relikh and I are two top five fighters fighting each other. You look at Maurice Hooker and Jose Ramirez and see their lack of competition. They’re not fighting top ten guys. For me, boxing is about the best fighting the best.”

Co-featured on April 27, four-division world champion “The Filipino Flash” Nonito Donaire (39-5, 25 KOs), of San Leandro, CA, meets South African Zolani Tete (28-3, 21 KOs) in a semi-final bantamweight match of the tournament.

Tickets, starting at $25, for the WBSS Super Lightweight and Bantamweight Semi-Finals are available through Ticketmaster here.

Don’t miss the WBSS Super-Lightweight and Bantamweight Semi-Finals – Regis Prograis vs Kiryl Relikh and Nonito Donaire vs Zolani Tete – at the Cajundome in Lafayette, USA on April 27.

Tickets priced from $25 go on sale at 10am CDT today (Friday, March 15).

Tickets will be available from TicketMaster.com here.

Ticket Price Bands:
Cat.1 Ringside – $400
Cat.2 Floor – $100
Cat.3 Lower Tier (centre) – $60
Cat.4 Lower Tier (corner) – $50
Cat.5 Upper Tier – $25

The magnificent doubleheader opens the semi-finals stage the World Boxing Super Series and the quest for the Muhammad Ali Trophy in the 140lb and 118lb edition of the tournament.

American and New Orleans native Regis Prograis (23-0, 19 KOs) faces Belarusian Kiryl Relikh (23-2, 19 KOs), who is training in Miami, in a super-lightweight semi-final and American-Philippine Nonito Donaire (39-5, 25 KOs) meets South African Zolani Tete (28-3, 21 KOs) in a bantamweight semi-final.

Join the Lafayette event on Facebook here!

A ticketing update on the Glasgow show will be made in the coming days.
Buy Lafayette Tickets!

A doubleheader that will see junior welterweights Regis Prograis battle Kiryl Relikh and Zolani Tete taking on Nonito Donaire will take place on April 27, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

After Ivan Baranchyk pulled out of the tournament for non-payment, Prograis has decided to stay in the WBSS.

“He is staying in. We worked out an arrangement where we feel comfortable,” Churchill Management’s Sam Katkovski, Prograis’ manager, told ESPN.

“First off, I’m just excited to continue with the tournament,” Prograis said. “It’s the best fighting the best. That’s what boxing should be about. I know Relikh is a tough and strong fighter, and I never look over an opponent, but I have no doubt in my mind that I will win.”

“I’m looking very much to the semifinal and the quest for the [Muhammad] Ali Trophy,” Relikh said. “When I fight the fans will get the money’s worth. I predict just like all of my fights a win for me.” Four-division world titlist Donaire (39-5, 25 KOs), 36, a Philippines native fighting out of Las Vegas, dropped down from featherweight to join the bantamweight field after having not boxed in the division since 2011. He won another bantamweight world title in the quarterfinals when he defeated Ryan Burnett on Burnett’s turf in Glasgow, Scotland, on Nov. 3 in a fight in which Burnett could not continue after the fourth round because of a freak injury — a torn oblique muscle on his right side.

“WBSS has set up such a great opportunity for me to achieve what I’ve always wanted and that’s to be undisputed champion,” Donaire said. “Since the last fight, I took just a couple weeks off and came right back to the gym. Tete is a formidable opponent and we have been preparing since the last fight. I’m even more excited with it being in the U.S. and won’t waste the opportunity to show the crowd what we’ve been working on.”

“Nonito Donaire is a true champion and has had a lot success against my fellow countryman like Moruti Mthalane and Jeffrey Mathebula in the past, but that stops here,” Tete said. “I respect Nonito, but I have a lot of faith in my own boxing ability, and I will come out victorious when we fight.”

By Bart Barry-

Saturday on DAZN, boxing’s now-essential network, the quarterfinals of the World Boxing Super Series super lightweight tournament happened in New Orleans. Belarusian Ivan “The Beast” Baranchyk (19-0, 12 KOs) walloped the sparkle out Sweden’s Anthony Yigit (21-1-1, 7 KOs) in the first mainevent. And in the second New Orleans’ Regis “Rougarou” Prograis (23-0, 19 KOs) decisioned unanimously England’s Terry Flanagan (33-2, 13 KOs). It was puncher-versus-survivor, both matches, and if that pitting didn’t make the best fights the WBSS has delivered thus far, they were still widely better than what American premium-cable swill they usurped.

Prograis doesn’t hit nearly hard enough for the posing he does. One suspects the origin of this posturing bent of his can be found in his record and generally soft stuff he’s built his resume with. He knows exactly how to throw the blastoff counter and admire its results but is less adept at following the counter with a few more punches. At no point in Saturday’s match was he better balanced and prepared for what came next than after he dropped Flanagan in round 8. He had the pose just right and the strut to the neutral corner down, too, much more than what finishing tactics one’d need to cut the lights of a former titlist.

Prograis has oodles of what the kids call swag – something like a young Yuriorkis Gamboa, without the Olympic gold medal to justify it. He is the fighting pride of transplanted New Orleans, a group generally longer on fight than pride. He’s also the number-one seed in a tournament bound to reveal whatever weaknesses he has, even if they don’t unravel him, and deserves a nod of approval for testing his fistic skills in single-elimination rather than some documentarian’s imagination in an episode of HBO’s defunct “2 Days” series.

Prograis will be 30 years-old round about the time of his semifinal match, which is to write he’s in the permanent period of his career, the time when any loudly publicized alterations to his fighting style will be cosmetic (he’s a lopsided-decision loss away from an Abel Sanchez Mexican-style makeover [though, while we’re on the subject, will any boxing figure’s profile go flaccider absent HBO stimulus than Abel’s?], where he’ll learn not to compromise his punches with head movement).

A prototypical U.K. prizefighter, full of heart and chin as he is bereft of power, Flanagan was an excellent opening exam for Prograis. Flanagan knew some tricks. While he did nothing to raise a referee’s suspicions he intended to elbow Prograis if given the chance, he sure brought his elbows back high and wide on the inside for a guy ostensibly defending himself from counters. He dipped low before clinches, too, the better to butt his assailant. Which is to write, he made Prograis earn victory the right way – by fighting.

Few are the men – no current practitioner save Naoya Inoue springs to mind – who have talent enough to win at the championship level and remain virgin pristine in tactic. Great fighters are dirty fighters, men who in their most challenged moments draw on experiential reserves of every trick employed against them by veteran fighters who often didn’t know and always didn’t care about the potential of the men across from them.

To wit, here’s an anecdote a young prospect recounted some years ago about sparring with Yori Boy Campas:

I knew he was going to hit me in the liver if he could. I’m bigger than him, so I don’t need to get too close to him. His arms don’t look that long. We’re two minutes in and he catches me there and nods. Just to tell me he could do it anytime he wanted. I was like, that’s pretty sneaky. He sees me get ready and throws the hook, really big. Except it doesn’t do anything because his glove is open and he’s hitting me on my elbow. But he’s not hitting my elbow. He’s, like, cupping it. Shoving it out of the way. And he’s still on his right side. Then right behind it come the knuckles. It was tap-slam.

You don’t pay the rent for long with hurting other men unless you’re a supernatural talent, which Campas wasn’t, or you master the patterns of your body and others’. Campas won his 107th professional fight in March, how easily we forget, and will never make any historian’s Top 50 list, true, but upon exiting the crucible of a boxing ring with him no man ever did not admire him, in large part because Campas knew, knows, every single way one man may hurt another with gloved fists. Flanagan is no Campas but surely taught Prograis some things Saturday, things Prograis will call upon unexpectedly someday if he’s humble enough to be wise, which he mightn’t be.

If Prograis challenges himself consistently for the next five years his defense is such he’ll find himself exactly where Flanagan was in round 8, eventually, and if Prograis was conscious of anything more than his own aesthetics after he dropped Flanagan, which he mightn’t’ve been, he’ll draw upon the experience of his own frustration in being unable to foreclose on a man like Flanagan who pays the mortgage but sporadically.

Another reason to evangelize for the World Boxing Super Series, and the concept of tournament boxing in general: There aren’t but a handful of gainfully employed matchmakers anymore worth a ha’penny – there are easily a dozen matchmakers worth quite a bit more than that, but the current marketplace has overvalued signature-destination storytelling, or whatever be the PBC’s equivalent, more than earnest competition – and so, select eight men in any division overlooked by American networks, and then let competition, talent and chance do the rest. Throw in a visionary broadcasting platform and some cool white lights and keep the tournament moving.

Whoever emerges with the Muhammad Ali Trophy (named after Muhammad Ali, we learned Saturday) is henceforth a signature-destination fighter for aficionados; if you’re less excited for Usyk-Bellew than you were for Jacobs-Derevyanchenko you’re a publicist, aspiring or actual, not an aficionado. Tournaments value competition over narrative (the 2009 narrative went: Andre Ward, a spoiled American gold medalist, will be stapled to the canvas by Mikkel Kessler in round 1 of the Super Six), achievement over character development.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Regis Prograis won a 12-round unanimous decision over former lightweight champion Terry Flanagan to defend the WBC Interim Syoer Lightweight championship and advance to the semifinals of the World Boxing Super series junior welterweight tournament at the UNO Lakefront Arena in Prograis hometown of New Orleans

In round eight, Prograis dropped Flanagan with a straight left. later in the a round, a cut was opened up outside of Flanagan’s left eye.

Prograis, 139.8 lbs of New Orleans won by scores of 119-108, 118-109 and 117-110 to remain perfect at 23-0. Flanagan, 139.3 lbs of Manchester, UK is 33-2.

Ivan Baranchyk won the IBF Junior Welterweight title and advanced to the semifinals of the World Boxing Super Series with a 7th round stoppage over Anthony Yigit.

In round two, Yigit began to form a mouse around his left eye from the heavy blows of Baranchyk.

By round six, Yigit. eye was almost closed and looking a lot worse for wear. Baranchyk continued to land hard shots on the iron-chinned Yigit and Yigit’s eye was a mess and completely shut when the bout was stopped at 3:00

Baranchyk 140 lbs of Miami, FL is 19-0 with 12 knockouts. Yigit, 139.7 lbs of Stickholm, SWE is 21-1-1.

Jonathan Guidry stopped Quincy Palmer in the first round of their scheduled six-round heavyweight bout.

Guidry landed a hard power combination that was ounctuated by a straight right that put Palmer down, and the bout was stopped.

Guidry is 12-0-2 with six knockouts. Palmer is 10-10.

Jonathan Montrel won a four-round unanimous decision over Antonio Wattell in a lightweight bout.

Montrel won by scores of 40-36 twice, and 39-37 and is now 2-0.  Wattell is 1-5-1.

Subriel Matias remained undefeated by winning via 1st round disqualification over Fernando Saucedo.

In round one, Matias dropped Saucedo twice.  On the second knockdown, Matias was docked a point while hitting Saucedo while he was down.  During the round, the corner of Saucedo stepped on the ring apron, and the fight was waved off.

Matias is now 12-0.  Saucedo is 62-9-3.

Jeremy Hill won a four-round unanimous decision over Brandon Arvie in a lightweight bout.

Hill scored knockdowns in rounds one, two and four and went on to win by scores of 40-33 on all cards.

Hill is now 5-0.  Arvie is 3-2.

Illyan Kolev made a successful pro debut with a four-round unanimous decision over Antonio Louis Hernandez in a super welterweight bout.

Scores were 40-35 and 39-36 for Kolev who is now 1-0.  Hernandez is 1-5.

New Orleans, LA (October 18, 2018) New Orleans’ Favorite Son and #1 World Ranked Junior Welterweight Regis “Rougarou” Prograis (22-0, 19 KOs) is wrapping up his training camp just days prior to his highly anticipated 12-round hometown showdown on Saturday, October 27, against former world champion Terry Flanagan (33-1, 13 KOs), of Manchester, England, at the UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans.

While training in Santa Monica, CA, as camp commenced last month, “Under The Hand Wraps” captured Prograis for an outstanding mini-documentary on his gym work in addition to his compelling story surviving Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. The feature can be viewed HERE.

“Regis is not only a great fighter, but a unique and inspiring person that transcends boxing,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “Watching him remember Hurricane Katrina is heart-wrenching and well worth watching. Albert Baker and his team at ‘Under The Hand Wraps’ are to be commended for their highly skilled production work.”

Prograis vs. Flanagan is a first-round bout in the World Boxing Super Series Tournament, which will be broadcast by DAZN (DAZN.com) in the United States. Tickets to this historic event, starting at $30, can be purchased by clicking HERE. Doors on the night of the event will open at 6:00 p.m.

On July 14, Prograis made his triumphant fighting debut in his hometown of New Orleans with a
sensational eighth-round knockout victory against Juan Jose Velasco at the UNO Lakefront Arena. Prograis is ranked as the Number 1 Junior Welterweight in the World by ESPN and Ring Magazine. He is the #1 Seed in the World Boxing Super Series Tournament.

New Orleans, LA (October 11, 2018) New Orleans’ Favorite Son and #1 World Ranked Junior Welterweight Regis Prograis (22-0, 19 KOs), along with his renowned trainer Bobby Benton, took a break from their training camp in Houston to meet with the media in New Orleans on Wednesday, October 10. In addition to hosting a media roundtable, Prograis also went through a full workout at the New Orleans Boxing Club.

Prograis returns to the UNO Lakefront Arena on Saturday, October 27, in a 12-round showdown against former world champion Terry Flanagan (33-1, 13 KOs), of Manchester, United Kingdom, in the first round of the World Boxing Super Series Tournament, which will be broadcast by DAZN (DAZN.com) in the United States. Tickets, starting at $30, to this historic event can be purchased by clicking HERE. Doors on the night of the event will open at 6:00 p.m.

On July 14, Prograis made his triumphant fighting debut in his hometown of New Orleans with a
sensational eighth-round knockout victory against Juan Jose Velasco at the UNO Lakefront Arena to capture the WBC Diamond Super Lightweight title. Prograis is ranked the Number 1 Junior Welterweight in the World by ESPN and Ring Magazine. He is the #1 Seed in the World Boxing Super Series Tournament.

Below are Regis Prograis quotes from the media roundtable:

“It was very important to come back and fight here at home. I definitely want to keep pushing New Orleans as a great boxing town, not just for me but for all the local fighters.”

“Training camp has been very hard as you can see from my shiner.”

“For this fight, I started training about two weeks early. Right after my fight in New Orleans in July, I went to Moscow for the drawing of the World Boxing Super Series where I chose Terry Flanagan to fight me in the first round. He’s a former world champion and I wanted to fight the toughest among those available for me to choose.”

“After I came home from Moscow, I went with my family to Brazil for a month then went back to Los Angeles for two weeks of training. Now I’m in Houston for the hardest part of my training camp. It’s been a very busy time.”

“I wanted to pick the harder fight and that’s why I went with Flanagan. I wasn’t looking for an easy opponent.”

“My goal now is to be like a franchise in New Orleans, like the Pelicans or the Saints. I saw the reception that Drew Brees got after he broke the NFL career record for most passing yards. I would love for something like that to happen to me one day.”

“I was a little nervous when I fought at home in New Orleans for the first time in July, but I’ve experienced that already, so this time it will be all business with no nerves. This time it will be back to being more fun for me.”

“It’s great to be back here in New Orleans, people yelling at me while I was running this morning, it made me feel great.”

Regis Prograis stopped Juan Jose Velasco in round eight of their scheduled 12-round junior welterweight bout at The Lakefront Arena in New Orleans.

Prograis dropped Velasco in round’s five and seven with body shots and dumped him again in round eight, and the bout was stopped at 139.

Prograis of New Orleans is 22-0 with 19 knockouts.  Velasco of Argentina is 20-1.

Teofimo Lopez thrilled the crowd and catapulted himself into the thick of the lightweight division as he dominated and stopped William Silva in round six of their scheduled 10-round bout.

In round one, Lopez dumped Silva with a left hook.  Silva was bleeding from the nose,  In round five, Lopez landed several hard hooks to the bloodied Silva, and then dumped Silva to the canvas in the corner.

Lopez came out in round six by landing three left hooks and a right that dropped Silva and the bout was called at 15 seconds.

Lopez is now 10-0 with 8 knockouts.  Silva is 25-2.

Erick De Leon got off the deck to win a 10-round unanimous decision over Adrian Young in a super featherweight bout.

Young dropped De Leon in the 1st round with a left hook.  De Leon recovered well and boxed very will over the final nine rounds to get the victory by scores of 98-91 and 97-92 twice.

De Leon, 132 1/2 lbs of Detroit is now 18-0-1.  Young, 133 1/4 lbs of Los Michis, MEX is 25-5-2.

2016 U.S. Olympian Charles Conwell remained perfect with a 2nd round stoppage over Travis Scott in a scheduled eight-round junior middleweight bout.

Conwell came out in round by hurting Scott with a flurry of punches on the ropes.  Conwell ended things with a perfect left hook to the body that sent Scott to a knee for the ten count at 1:34.

Conwell, 153 1/4 lbs of Cleveland, OH is 8-0 with 6 knockouts.  Scott, 153 1/4 lbs of Baton Rouge, LA is 19-4.

Jean Carlos Rivera stopped Angel Luna in round one of their scheduled eight-round featherweight bout.

Rivera rocked Luna with a hard left hook in round one. Then a body punch and another left hook later, the bout was stopped at 1:22.

Rivera, 125 3/4 lbs is now 14-0 with 9 knockouts. Luna, 126 3/4 lbs of Dominican Republic is now 11-5-1.

In a battle of undefeated junior welterweights, 2016 Olympic Gold Medal winner Fazliddin Gaibnazarov won a eight-round unanimous decision over Kevin Johnson.

Gaibnazarov, 138 lbs of Uzbekistan won by scores of 78-74 on all cards, and is now 5-0. Johnson, 137 1/4 lbs of Detroit is 5-1.

Jeremy Hill won a four-round unanimous decision over Charles Johnson in a super lightweight bout.

Hill of New Orleans won by scores of 40-35 on all cards, and is now 3-0.  Johnson is 0-1-3.

• Regis Prograis 139.8 lbs vs. Juan Jose Velasco 140 lbs
(WBC Super Lightweight Diamond Belt – 12 Rounds)

• Teofimo Lopez 134.9 lbs vs. William Silva 134 lbs
(WBC Continental Americas Lightweight Title – 10 Rounds)

• Erick De Leon 132.5 lbs vs. Adrian Young 133.1 lbs
(Super Featherweight – 10 Rounds)

• Jean Carlos Rivera 125.8 lbs vs. Angel Luna 126.8 lbs
(Featherweight – 10 Rounds)

• Fazliddin Gaibnazarov 138 lbs vs. Kevin Johnson 137.1 lbs
(Lightweight – 8 Rounds)

• Jonathan Guidry 235.3 lbs vs. Aaron Chavers 228.8 lbs
(Heavyweight – 6 Rounds)

• Charles Conwell 153.4 lbs vs. Travis Scott 155.3 lbs
(Middleweight – 6 Rounds)

• Tyler Howard 164.9 lbs vs. Javier Frazier 163.1 lbs
(Super Middleweight – 6 Rounds)

• Jeremy Hill 136.1 lbs vs. Charles Johnson 136 lbs
(Lightweight – 4 Rounds)

• Jonathan Montrel 137.7 lbs vs. Samuel Forjoe 140.6 lbs
(Super Lightweight – 4 Rounds)

Prograis vs. Velasco and Lopez vs. Silva will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 7 p.m. ET. The entire undercard will be streamed on ESPN+ beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with DiBella Entertainment, tickets, priced at $200 (ringside), $125 (floor), $75, and $40, are on sale now, and can be purchased at the Lakefront Arena box office, Ticketmaster.com and charge by phone at 800-745-3000. Discounts for military, students and New Orleans Police Department members ? $75 tickets for $50 and $40 seats for $25 – are available when presenting valid ID at the Lakefront Arena box office.

For more information visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook:facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, facebook.com/espndeportes; Twitter:twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, @ESPN @ESPNBoxeo @RPrograis,@DiBellaEnt, @LouDibella @ESPNDeportes.

Use the hashtag #PrograisVelasco to join the conversation on social media.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the first-ever multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN. ESPN+ offers fans two exclusive original boxing programs The Boxing Beat with Dan Rafael (Tuesdays, weekly) and In This Corner (twice monthly). In addition to boxing content, fans can watch thousands of additional live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks. This includes hundreds of MLB, NHL and MLS games, Grand Slam tennis, Top Rank boxing, PGA TOUR golf, college sports, international rugby, cricket, the full library of ESPN Films (including 30 for 30) and more. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.

NEW ORLEANS (July 12, 2018) – Regis “Rougarou” Prograis asked to fight in his hometown of New Orleans for a long time. After 21 bouts and more than six years as a pro, his wish is finally coming true.

The Prograis homecoming will occur Saturday evening at the Lakefront Arena, where he will defend the WBC super lightweight diamond belt against fellow unbeaten Juan Jose Velasco. And, in the co-feature, Brooklyn-bred Teofimo Lopez (9-0, 7 KOs) will take on William Silva (25-1, 14 KOs) for the vacant WBC Continental Americas lightweight title.

Prograis vs. Velasco and Lopez vs. Silva will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 7 p.m. ET.

The undercard will be streamed on ESPN+ beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET. Several young standouts will see action, including 2016 U.S. Olympian Charles Conwell (7-0, 5 KOs) in a six-round middleweight bout against Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native Travis Scott (19-3, 5 KOs), 2016 Olympic gold medalist Fazliddin Gaibnazarov (4-0, 2 KOs) versus fellow unbeaten Kevin Johnson (5-0, 4 KOs) in an eight-round lightweight bout; unbeaten 130-pound contender Erick De Leon (17-0-1, 10 KOs) against Adrian Young (25-4-2, 19 KOs) in a 10-rounder; and featherweight prospect Jean Carlos Rivera (13-0, 8 KOs) versus Angel Luna (12-4-1, 7 KOs) in a 10-round contest.

At Neyow’s Palace, located only a couple miles from the French Quarter, the fighters gathered for the final press conference. Prograis and Lopez, as always, exhibited their gift of gab. This is what they, and many of the other combatants on Saturday’s card, had to say.

Regis Prograis

“It’s a dream to come here. The Lakefront Arena, I grew up right around the corner from there. Like, in the car, you’d get there literally in two minutes. Just to be headlining there, that’s super important to me. I’m honored for it. I have to hide my excitement because I still have to fight. {Velasco} is going to try and knock me out, you know what I mean? So I gotta go out there and do my thing. I’m super excited. I might not show it, but I’m really excited to be fighting in my hometown, and not only that, my whole goal is to bring big-time boxing back to New Orleans. Not only a Regis Prograis fight, but one day we may get {Terence Crawford, who was seated in the audience} up here to fight. You know, one day, maybe me and {Crawford} might fight here at ’47.”

“I’m focused. There are no distractions for me. This is normal. This is a part of the game.”

Teofimo Lopez

“It’s about time {I stepped up the competition}. It’s about time. I definitely want to showcase more of what I’m capable of doing. People have yet to see everything of me. Top Rank’s matchmakers – Brad Goodman and Bruce Trampler – they’re doing a hell of a job with me. This is a good step up. Definitely. Fighting a guy whose only defeat was with Felix Verdejo {in 2016}, and he went the distance with him. At the end of the day, I’m no Felix Verdejo.”

Juan Jose Velasco

“I’ve had a tremendous training camp, and I am thankful for this opportunity. I am going to take advantage of it.”

“Regis is a great fighter. To be a great champion, you need to fight the best fighters. And I want to prove that Saturday night, that I’m elite like him.”

William Silva

“I’m ready for the fight. It’s a real important fight. I had a real good training camp, and I’m ready to go.”

Erick De Leon

“I can’t wait to see all my fans. You guys are in for a really special treat. I can’t wait to display my talent and everything I got, everything I worked for in camp. It’s going to show Saturday, so make sure you’re there early.”

“I make adjustments. I can do it all in the ring. I’m available to capitalize and make adjustments, and that’s what it’s all about. Saturday, you are going to see a more complete fighter. You’re going to see a more exciting fighter.”

Jean Carlos Rivera

“I’m ready for the 10 rounds. We were supposed to fight Jose Haro for the USBA title and unfortunately he pulled out. Then, we were supposed to fight Viorel Simion, who has fought Scott Quigg and Lee Selby, in a 12-rounder, and unfortunately, he also pulled out. Now I’m fighting Angel Luna, and we’re ready for whatever he brings.”

Charles Conwell

“I feel as if my pro career is going real well. I’ve been active. I’ve been up against good, tough opponents, and I’m just growing and getting better as each fight goes on.”

# # #
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with DiBella Entertainment, tickets, priced at $200 (ringside), $125 (floor), $75, and $40, are on sale now, and can be purchased at the Lakefront Arena box office, Ticketmaster.com and charge by phone at 800-745-3000. Discounts for military, students and New Orleans Police Department members ? $75 tickets for $50 and $40 seats for $25 – are available when presenting valid ID at the Lakefront Arena box office.

For more information visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook:facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, facebook.com/espndeportes; Twitter:twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, @ESPN @ESPNBoxeo @RPrograis,@DiBellaEnt, @LouDibella @ESPNDeportes.

Use the hashtag #PrograisVelasco to join the conversation on social media.

NEW ORLEANS (July 11, 2018) – Championship boxing is back in “The Big Easy” on Saturday at the Lakefront Arena. Native son Regis “Rougarou” Prograis (21-0, 18 KOs) defends the WBC super lightweight diamond belt against fellow unbeaten Juan Jose Velasco (20-0, 12 KOs), while unbeaten lightweight sensation Teofimo Lopez (9-0, 7 KOs) looks to continue “The Takeover” against once-beaten William Silva (25-1, 14 KOs) for the vacant WBC Continental Americas lightweight title.

Prograis vs. Velasco and Lopez vs. Silva will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 7 p.m. ET. The undercard will be streamed on ESPN+ beginning at 4:30 p.m ET and include several standouts, including 2016 U.S. Olympian Charles Conwell (7-0, 5 KOs) in a six-round middleweight bout against Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native Travis Scott (19-3, 5 KOs), 2016 Olympic gold medalist Fazliddin Gaibnazarov (4-0, 2 KOs) versus fellow unbeaten Kevin Johnson (5-0, 4 KOs) in an eight-round lightweight bout; unbeaten 130-pound contender Erick De Leon (17-0-1, 10 KOs) against Adrian Young (25-4-2, 19 KOs) in a 10-rounder; featherweight prospect Jean Carlos Rivera (13-0, 8 KOs) versus Angel Luna (12-4-1, 7 KOs) in a 10-rounder; and the professional debut of the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist from Russia, Vladimir Nikitin.

Many of the fighters from Saturday’s card worked out for the media Wednesday at New Orleans Boxing Club. This is what they had to say.

Regis Prograis

“I’m not going to say I go in looking for the knockout, but I go in to try and hurt my opponent. Boxing is a brutal sport, and that’s how it’s supposed to be. I feel like I’m a killer. Of course, I’m nice. I can smile with ya’ll, but when I get in there, I’m a killer.”

“When I hit somebody and I know they’re hurt, then I know I got them. My whole thing is if I hit them and I see some type of weakness in their body, or I see something going, then I know automatically I got them. It’s over.”

“When I started {boxing}, I was a natural street fighter most of the time. It was a big influence because it started me off and gave me the hunger. I wanted to be great and I knew I wanted to be a professional boxer since probably when I was 14 or 15.”

“There are way more distractions {fighting at home}, but it’s part of the game. You gotta do it. It’s part of my job.”

Teofimo Lopez

“I’m 20 now. I’ll be a world champion by 21. Then I’m going to clean out the 135-pound division. And yeah, I know Vasiliy Lomachenko is in my way.”

“This is my last fight as a 20-year-old, and I know that I’m going to put on another great show. ‘The Takeover’ is real, ladies and gentlemen. The dude I’m fighting has never been knocked out, but he’s never seen anyone like me. I just can’t wait for Saturday night, and I have a bunch of tricks up my sleeve that nobody has seen.”

“I don’t smoke. I don’t drink. I respect the sport. My time is coming.”

Juan Jose Velasco

“The pressure is not an issue for me. The pressure is on Regis. I’m not expected to do much, which is fine by me. I’ll prove the experts wrong.”

“I feel like everyone is pulling for him, that it’s a gimme fight for Regis. Everyone can talk, but on Saturday, he’ll have to fight.”

William Silva

“I feel great. Teofimo was a great amateur and an Olympian, but this is the pro game. The pros are a different animal.”

“In the ring, there ain’t no underdog. It’s whoever has the will and the skills. When you’re in the ring, you show your skills.”
# # #

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with DiBella Entertainment, tickets, priced at $200 (ringside), $125 (floor), $75, and $40, are on sale now, and can be purchased at the Lakefront Arena box office, Ticketmaster.com and charge by phone at 800-745-3000. Discounts for military, students and New Orleans Police Department members ? $75 tickets for $50 and $40 seats for $25 – are available when presenting valid ID at the Lakefront Arena box office.

New Orleans (July 6, 2018) – Jacksonville Jaguars star running back Leonard Fournette will be ringside on Saturday, July 14, at Lakefront Arena in his hometown of New Orleans to support fellow native and top-rated junior welterweight Regis “Rougarou” Prograis (21-0, 18 KOs) in his 12-round hometown clash with undefeated Juan Jose Velasco (20-0, 12 KOs), of Argentina, at Lakefront Arena.

Born in New Orleans, the 23-year-old Fournette is a graduate of St. Augustine High School and was a collegiate star at Louisiana State University before being drafted in 2017 in the first round by the Jaguars.

Stated Fournette, “This is a great look for New Orleans within the sports world. We’re known for football and basketball, but Regis’ accomplishments in the boxing world are amazing and opening doors for all the young boxers in the city that are trying to follow in his footsteps. All of the athletes in New Orleans will be there with me on July 14 in full support of him and I can’t want to be there at ringside.”

Presented by Top Rank, in association with DiBella Entertainment, the highly anticipated main event between Regis “Rougarou” Prograis, of New Orleans, and undefeated challenger Juan Jose Velasco, of Argentina, for the WBC Diamond Super Lightweight Championship, will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 7 p.m. ET. The exciting undercard will be broadcast on ESPN+ beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Tickets, priced at $200 (ringside), $125 (floor), $75 and $40, can be purchased in advance at the Lakefront Arena box office, Ticketmaster.com and charge by phone at 800-745-3000. Discounts for military, students and the New Orleans Police Department members – $75 tickets for $50 and $40 seats for $25 – are available when presenting valid ID at the UNO box office. Doors on the night of the event open at 3:00pm CT, with the first fight scheduled for 3:30pm CT.

Fournette will also make an appearance in the VIP room during the event and will be available for photo-ops if any fans with a VIP ticket should catch him in there. For VIP ticket inquiries, please call the DiBella Entertainment office at (212) 947-2577.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the July 14 WBC junior welterweight title bout between Regis Prograis and Juan Jose Velasco will see the winner enter the upcoming World Boxing Super Series.

“My biggest asset is my hunger to be the best,” said Prograis, a southpaw, who claimed a vacant interim title by second-round knockout of former unified titleholder Julius Indongo on March 9. “I have a chip on my shoulder and I want to prove to everybody I am the best at 140 pounds. I’m definitely excited to enter into the tournament. This is great for boxing. The best fighting the best.”

“It’s a great honor and I look forward to competing for the Muhammad Ali Trophy and winning the whole thing,” Velasco said. “I think the format is set up well. The best fight the best in the World Boxing Super Series to determine one champ. Great!”

Kiryl Relikh (22-2, 19 KOs), 28, of Belarus, will defend his version of the 140-pound title for the first time when he faces mandatory challenger and former world titlist Eduard Troyanovsky (27-1, 24 KOs), 38, of Russia, in one of the quarterfinal bouts.

“The World Boxing Super Series is getting the best facing the best, which is precisely what is needed in our sport,” Relikh said. “I am focused on preparing the best that I can to achieve the dream of winning the Muhammad Ali Trophy. The holder of the trophy will be a superstar in the game.”

“I am very happy to take part in the tournament,” Troyanovsky said. “The Muhammad Ali Trophy is something really special for any boxer in the world. Maybe it could be more prestigious than championship belts because not everyone can get this trophy.”

One of the other quarterfinals is another mandatory fight. It will match Russia’s Ivan Baranchyk (18-0, 11 KOs), 25, and Anthony Yigit (21-0-1, 7 KOs), 26, of Sweden, who will meet for a vacant world title.

“I am really happy to be a part of the tournament because there are chances to take all the titles and show everyone that I am the best in the division,” Baranchyk said. “My nature, effort and my love of boxing will help me to get the Ali Trophy.”

Said Yigit: “It’s a great opportunity, and I’m honored to have been chosen to fight among the best in the division. This Ali Trophy tournament is a great example of how boxing should be promoted: the best fighting the best. That’s where I want to be and these are the fighters I want to face.”

Also in the field will be Josh Taylor (13-0, 11 KOs), a 27-year-old southpaw from Scotland. He scored a hard-fought unanimous decision over former titlist Viktor Postol on June 23.

“I am delighted to have had to the opportunity to join the competition,” Taylor said. “It’s a great chance for me to become world champion with multiple organizations. It is also a great honor to fight for the Ali Trophy in honor of the greatest boxer of all time.”

The second season tournaments now also have an American broadcaster after going without for most of the first season. The Perform Group’s DAZN all-sports streaming service, which launches soon in the United States, announced on Monday that it has secured the rights for all three tournaments. DAZN said it will stream all 15 cards and 21 tournament fights.

“As a platform built for the fans, DAZN has been mining boxing chats and forums to see how we can bring immediate value to the community,” DAZN CEO James Rushton said. “It became obvious that Americans felt left out of the terrific action and thrilling competition on display in the World Boxing Super Series. To that end, we’re happy to announce that we’ll stream every fight of all three tournaments. This is just the beginning.”

New York, NY (June 13, 2018) – 2016 United States Olympian and undefeated middleweight prospect Charles Conwell (7-0, 5 KOs), of Cleveland, will face popular Baton Rouge, Louisiana, veteran Travis Scott (19-3, 5 KOs) in an eight-round clash on Saturday, July 14
at the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans.

Presented by Top Rank, in association with DiBella Entertainment, Conwell vs. Scott will be a featured undercard fight to the highly anticipated main event between Regis “Rougarou” Prograis, of New Orleans, and undefeated challenger Juan Jose Velasco, of Argentina, with the WBC Diamond super lightweight championship at stake. Prograis vs. Velasco and Teofimo Lopez vs. William Silva will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 7 p.m. ET, while the undercard, including Conwell vs. Scott, will be broadcast on ESPN+ beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET.

“A local Louisiana boxer will get a chance to test himself against a US Olympian when the popular Travis Scott, of Baton Rouge, takes on Cleveland’s Charles Conwell, as part of the excellent undercard to Prograis-Velasco at Lakefront Arena, in New Orleans, on July 14,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “Fans from Baton Rouge have even more of a reason to join us in New Orleans for a great night of world championship boxing.”

Tickets, priced at $200 (ringside), $125 (floor), $75 and $40, can be purchased at the Lakefront Arena box office, Ticketmaster.com and charge by phone at 800-745-3000. Discounts for military, students and the New Orleans Police Department members – $75 tickets for $50 and $40 seats for $25 – are available when presenting valid ID at the UNO box office.

Following an outstanding amateur career, the 20-year-old Conwell has quickly impressed boxing fans across the country with his world-class skills matched by his concussive power in both hands. On November 10, 2017, he made his triumphant professional return to Cleveland with a sensational performance, winning a nationally televised six-round unanimous decision against Roque Zapata, dropping the valiant Panamanian four times.

Most recently, Conwell stayed busy with a six-round unanimous decision versus Juan Jesus Rivera on March 9, 2018, in Deadwood, South Dakota.

Born and raised in Baton Rouge, the upset-minded Scott looks to jump back into the win column following a hard-fought clash with Mark DeLuca on March 18, 2017, in Boston.

Scott began his boxing career in the amateur ranks under the renowned Frank James and Frankie Caruso. While competing in over 100 amateur bouts, Scott won the Southern Boxing Association’s “Boxer of the Year” award in 1995 and 1996. During his tenure in the United States Marine Corps, Scott became a member of the All-Marine Boxing Team. Scott is well known in Baton Rouge boxing circles for his contributions as a pioneer to the local boxing scene and is a staple in reviving the sport in his hometown.

NEW ORLEANS. (June 1, 2018) — Regis Prograis returned home Wednesday for a homecoming press conference at The Original French Market Restaurant & Bar to promote his WBC super lightweight diamond belt title defense against fellow unbeaten Juan Jose Velasco, July 14 at the Lakefront Arena on the campus of the University of New Orleans.

Prograis (21-0, 18 KOs) was born in New Orleans, moving to Houston after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city. Now, he’s back for the first time as a professional and ready to put on a show for his home fans against Velasco (20-0, 12 KOs), a Buenos Aires, Argentina, native who has won four of his last five bouts via knockout.

It was a star-studded afternoon featuring New Orleans dignitaries, including the city’s mayor, LaToya Cantrell.

This is what Prograis and his promoter, Lou Dibella, had to say.

Prograis

“Boxing is not as big in New Orleans because the kids don’t see it. I want to be the person that they see, that they know they have a champion in New Orleans. Boxing is big right now in New York and Las Vegas, but I’m telling you that I’m going to change it. It’s going to boost the economy and everybody in the world will come back to New Orleans. Ali fought here, Duran fought here, Sugar Ray Leonard fought here and I’m going to bring it back. I’d like to thank everybody for coming. One of the main things you can do if you want to bring big time boxing back to New Orleans is come to the fight on July 14. That’s all you have to do, come to the fight.”

“Every time I think of New Orleans, I think of its culture and the people. There is a such a strong culture in New Orleans and our fans are so loyal. The Saints can lose every game, and we’re still going to be in the Superdome every weekend. I just want to inspire the kids.”

DiBella

“Since I signed Regis, he’s wanted to fight here. This was the right moment. Regis wants to be a great champion. Regis wants to be a unified champion. Regis wants to be a Hall of Fame fighter. He wants all those things. He also wants to be a leader in New Orleans, he really does. He wants to influence kids in New Orleans. He wants to be influential.”

“I have so much respect for Regis, not only as an athlete but as a person. He’s all about this city.”

“We’re very grateful to have this tremendous support from the city of New Orleans for this
event and honored to have Mayor LaToya Cantrell join us today.”

###

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with DiBella Entertainment, tickets, priced at $200 (ringside), $125 (floor), $75, and $40, are on sale now, and can be purchased at the Lakefront Arena box office, Ticketmaster.com and charge by phone at 800-745-3000. Discounts for military, students and New Orleans Police Department members ? $75 tickets for $50 and $40 seats for $25 – are available when presenting valid ID at the Lakefront Arena box office.

For more information visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook:facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, facebook.com/espndeportes; Twitter:twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, @ESPN @ESPNBoxeo @RPrograis,@DiBellaEnt, @LouDibella @ESPNDeportes.

Use the hashtag #PrograisVelasco to join the conversation on social media.

Upcoming world super-lightweight challenger Juan Jose “El Pitbull” Velasco says he’s happy to be facing a fighter being labeled a potential new star in boxing on Saturday, July 14.

Velasco (20-0, 12 KOs), from Buenos Aires, Argentina, will challenge interim WBC World Super Lightweight Champion Regis Prograis at the Lakefront Arena in Prograis’ birthplace of New Orleans, Louisiana.

The southpaw Prograis became champion last March with a head-turning TKO 2 over capable former champion Julius Indongo.

“I am glad he is being called a new star,” said Velasco. “I only want to fight the best, so I can become the best myself. He’s a very good fighter and I know it will be a true war.”

31-year-old Velasco says he’s in great shape, training in Miami, and looks forward to making his dream of a world title come true.

How is training going?
Training is going fantastic! I am in Miami at Caicedo Sports Training Camp, working with Herman Caicedo. Herman is relentless. As soon as he picked me up, traveling from Argentina to Miami. He took me straight to the track and ran drills for an hour.

Talk to me about the opportunity to fight for world championship?
It’s a dream come true. My whole pro career it has been my dream. I found out I was fighting for the championship immediately after my last fight. My promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, informed me of the opportunity and told me I would be training in Miami with Herman.

You haven’t left your home country to fight much, are you going to be your usual self fighting basically in his hometown in the US?
No, I haven’t been out much and it’s an honor to be fighting in the USA. I don’t know any other way than to be myself in a fight. Herman is improving on my skills and adding some details to it. Herman and I have gelled immediately. I am sure, due to his experience with champions, that he knows how to adapt to individuals. Fighting in his hometown is on him. I have zero pressure and can only gain fans fighting there.

Why will you win this fight?
I will win this fight because I am hungry to be a champion. I’m hungry to be where he is at and hungry to better my family.

Describe yourself as a fighter for American fans who haven’t seen you yet.
I am a boxer puncher who can adapt to what is in front of me. Are you doing anything different in training for this fight? Answer: yes, the major difference is training with Herman Caicedo in Miami. He has had great success with lots of fighters and one of the few coaches to develop a fighter into a champion from pro debuts. He is a teacher. I look forward to much success with him.

About Sampson Boxing
After a very successful run as a matchmaker and adviser, Sampson Lewkowicz switched over to the promotional side of professional boxing in January 2008.

Sampson Boxing has grown into one of the world’s most prestigious promotional firms, representing many of the world’s best fighters and most promising young contenders.

Sampson Boxing has promotional partners all over North and South America, Africa, Asia, New Zealand, Australia, Europe and Central America and Sampson Boxing events have been televised on such premiere networks as HBO, Showtime, ESPN, VS. and several international networks.

NEW ORLEANS (May 25, 2018) — Regis “Rougarou” Prograis was born in New Orleans and became a fighter in The Big Easy. He never returned home to fight. Until now. Prograis, the World Boxing Council (WBC) interim super lightweight champion, will make his triumphant homecoming against fellow unbeaten Juan Jose Velasco on July 14 at Lakefront Arena on the campus of the University of New Orleans (UNO).

In the co-feature, young knockout artist Teofimo Lopez continues his rise up the lightweight rankings against once-beaten William Silva in a 10-rounder.

Prograis vs. Velasco and Lopez vs. Silva will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 7 p.m. ET with soon-to-be announced undercard bouts to be streamed on ESPN+ beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with DiBella Entertainment, tickets, priced at $200 (ringside), $125 (floor), $75, and $40, go on sale TODAY, May 25 at 10 a.m. CST, and can be purchased at the Lakefront Arena box office, Ticketmaster.com and charge by phone at 800-745-3000. Discounts for military, students and New Orleans Police Department members ? $75 tickets for $50 and $40 seats for $25 – are available when presenting valid ID at the UNO box office.

“I’m thrilled and honored to be fighting back home in New Orleans,” Prograis said. “For the last couple of years, everywhere I’ve went people have asked, ‘When are you fighting at home?’ I’m beyond excited that we can make this happen. The people of New Orleans have supported me from day one, and I love being from here and having the opportunity for the world to see me fight at home.”

“Regis is a superstar in the making. He has all the tools and intangibles to be an international star,” said Lou DiBella, Prograis’ promoter. “I’m very happy to showcase his talents on ESPN on July 14 in his hometown of New Orleans.”

“Regis is the most dynamic, articulate and talented new force in boxing today,” said Peter Berg, Prograis’ manager. “He is the future and the future is now.”

“I asked to fight on the big stage, and now I am getting what I wanted,” Lopez said. “I’m grateful to Top Rank and ESPN for giving me the opportunity to showcase my talent and take over another show. The takeover is real, ladies and gentlemen. Come July 14, you will see it.”

Prograis (21-0, 18 KOs) lived in New Orleans until he was 16 years old but relocated to Houston after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005. He started boxing seriously after moving to Houston, training alongside future world champions Jermall and Jermell Charlo. Following an amateur career that included nearly 100 fights and a Texas State Golden Gloves title, Prograis made his pro debut in April 2012, winning eight bouts in his first two years in the paid ranks.

On June 25, 2016, Prograis won the vacant NABF super lightweight junior title with a fourth-round stoppage of Luis Florez. He turned heads last June when he knocked down the previously unbeaten Joel Diaz Jr. four times in the second round to score the knockout in a nationally televised main event. In March, as an encore, he steamrolled former 140-pound unified champion Julius Indongo to win the interim world title, knocking him down four time en route to a second-round TKO.

Velasco (20-0, 12 KOs), from Buenos Aires, has fought only twice outside of his native Argentina. This will be his third ring appearance of 2018, as he stopped Sergio Manuel Liendo in the seventh round in February and Jorge Martin Garcia in the second round in May. The 31-year-old has won four of his last five bouts via knockout.

Lopez (9-0, 7 KOs), a 2016 Olympian for his parents’ native Honduras, has had a meteoric rise through the pro ranks since turning in November 2016. Named Yahoo Sports’ 2017 “Prospect of the Year”, Lopez has lived up to the billing in 2018. In February, he shut out the durable Juan Pablo Sanchez over six rounds. On the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Jorge Linares undercard May 12 at Madison Square Garden, Lopez turned into a viral superstar with his first-round knockout of Vitor Freitas. As Freitas attempted to get up, Lopez did the “Take the L” dance from the popular video game Fortnite.

Silva (25-1, 14 KOs), from Sao Paulo, Brazil, has never been knocked out during a nearly 12-year pro career. He has won two straight since his only loss, a 10-round unanimous decision to then-undefeated Felix Verdejo.

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