JACK Catterall is on the verge of a world title opportunity after defeating Regis Prograis by unanimous decision in Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena. Manuel Oliver Palomo totalled 117-108 in favour of Catterall, joined by Bob Williams and Dave Braslow, who both handed in scores of 116-109. It was an enjoyable contest that gently cranked up in intensity as limbs loosened, gaps appeared and shots landed.
The opening rounds were tight and tense, as expected. Prograis leaned over the front foot, waiting to dip in for a big shot while Catterall posed in the southpaw stance, occasionally prodding out the jab.
Catterall landed a sharp left hand in round three, no doubt seeking to lure his opponent in, pick up early points and have Prograis chasing for the remainder of the contest. Instead it was Jack who got a wake up call in the fifth round as a right jab to the shoulder of Catterall prompted a count from John Latham. That topped off a better rounded for the veteran visitor who found a home for the jab and left hand, leading Jamie Moore to send his man out to claw back some respect.
Naturally, Prograis looked more confident, rolling and twitching, making Catterall think, move and react. Regis upped the tempo as both men left the seventh with cuts.
Boxing with his mouth wide open, Regis had a quieter eighth round, lacking the flittering upper body movement that was serving him well. He appeared to buzz Catterall temporarily, leading to a fall and grapple, but overall, Jack had a better three minutes.
That trend continued in a dramatic round nine that saw Prograis dropped twice. The left hand from Catterall was short, sharp and on the button. It took a lot out of Prograis who drifted through the 10th and did plenty of feinting and fancy footwork in round 11 but for the majority was kept on the end of Catterall’s fizzing right stick.
Prograis appeared to slip in the final round and began moving gingerly. The potentially rolled ankle impacted his mobility but Catterall’s slick combinations certainly helped the decline.
Even though no world title was on the line here, a big fight opportunity is now on the cards for Catterall. IBF champion Liam Paro and Richardson Hitchins go at it on December 7 in Puerto Rico. Eddie Hearn wants to put Catterall in with the winner and also mentioned WBO holder Teofimo Lopez’s name.
“I felt Regis’ power. He’s a hell of a fighter, two-time world champion,” said Catterall, 30-1 (13).
“We had to stay disciplined. We couldn’t take too many risks against a strong fighter like Regis. I want a world title next.”
Regis Prograis, now 29-3 (24), complimented the winner: “Jack was the better man, I’m not gonna lie. I’ve fought the best of them and I think so far, Jack is maybe the top.
“I’ve had my time in the sun. I’ll give you [Catterall] tips. I’ll talk to you about things later. I think 12 rounds might be too much for me now. I might go and do bareknuckle. I’ll go do something else and let the young guys take over.”
