By Declan Taylor
JACK CATTERALL and Regis Prograis clash in Manchester on Saturday night in what both men have described as the best possible fight in the division outside the current quartet of belt-holders. The southpaw pair both kicked off their careers in 2012 and have both racked up 29 wins each in the 12 years that followed. But which of those were the best?
Jack Catterall’s three best career wins
3. Vs Jorge Linares, 21/10/2023 – W pts 12
Although this clear unanimous decision win came against a 38-year-old Jorge Linares who was on a three-fight losing streak, it was still a big moment for Catterall who was headlining for the first time in his Matchroom deal. He had also never mixed with anyone of Linares’ calibre before, he bossed most of this fight and secured a victory which would allow him to press ahead to bigger and better things – including some much needed revenge against Josh Taylor.
2. Vs Josh Taylor, 25/5/2024 – W pts 12
After more than two years of waiting, Catterall was finally able to set the record straight against Josh Taylor when the pair met at the First Direct Arena in Leeds. Although there were no belts on the line due to Taylor’s defeat to Teofimo Lopez 11 months earlier, this one felt even bigger than a world title for Catterall who boxed well to claim a deserved points win with Mark Bates and Kieran McCann both scoring him a 117-111 winner and Lee Every seeing it slightly closer at 116-113.
1. Vs Josh Taylor, 26/2/2022 – L pts 12
Although the history books show this one as a defeat to Catterall, it would be remiss to leave this one off the list given the controversy around the result. All four 140lb belts were on the line that night at the SSE Hydro and Catterall was a huge underdog against the undisputed champion. But the Chorley man dropped Taylor in the eighth and seemed to have done more than enough to win the fight. But in what must go down as one of the most controversial results in a British ring of the generation, Taylor got the nod, handing Catterall the sole defeat of his career. As a result of the fallout, judge Ian John-Lewis was downgraded by the British Boxing Board of Control.
25 May 2024
Picture By Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing.
Regis Prograis’ three best career wins
3. Vs Julius Indongo, 9/3/2018 – W TKO 2
Namibian southpaw Julius Indongo had lost his undefeated record and world title to Terence Crawford seven months earlier but this was still seen as a tough out for Prograis, who was stepping up to the 12-round limit for the first time. But Prograis fought like a man possessed that night and wasted no time in going straight at his fellow southpaw and got his breakthrough right on the bell to end the first round. And Prograis closed the show in the second, dropping Indongo three more times before referee John-Lewis waved it off.
Vs Jose Zepeda, 26/11/22 – W TKO 11
After a trio of 10-rounders in the wake of his 2019 defeat to Josh Taylor, Prograis won the world title for a second time with this 11th round stoppage of Jose Zepeda in Carson, California. This had been a closely contested and at times attritional clash until the fight exploded into life in the 10th. Then, in the 11th, Prograis landed a huge overhand left which hurt Zepeda and he did not miss his chance to force a stoppage.
1. Vs Kiryl Relikh, 27/4/2019 – w TKO 6
Maybe not the biggest name on Prograis’ record but this was a dominant and one-sided beatdown which not only booked his place in the World Boxing Super Series final but also crowned him world champion for the first time. It was essentially one-way traffic from the off and Prograis won all five completed rounds on the judges scorecards before Relikh’s corner requested the fight be stopped midway through the sixth. “I told y’all beforehand, these boys can’t fuck with me,” Prograis barked. “I just dominated the whole time. They can’t mess with me.”
