REGIS Prograis returned to the win column yesterday evening in a 10-round chief supporting contest that ignited into a surprisingly enjoyable firefight. After 30 minutes of toil, Prograis emerged with a unanimous decision victory in Chicago over Joseph Diaz, having his hand raised for the first time since June 2023.
Both men are past their best. While this kind of matchmaking often creates an eyeroll as the same frazzled faces are reused and recycled, often two fading forces pitched together creates a good fight. This was one of those times. The reflexes and speed were reduced to such an extent that the pair stayed inside and exchanged blows for fun.
They had been world champions, crossed weight classes and met at a last chance saloon that refuses to close for the evening. Diaz has had his issues, yet continues to pitch and receives opportunities as a result of his can-do attitude.
Prograis’ own insistence on attempting to rekindle the old magic keeps him relevant. Oscar De la Hoya threw them together and let it play out. The duo, now with a combined 76 fights, stood and traded whenever the weary legs refused to move.
DAZN’s commentary team commended Prograis for being able to fight hurt. It’s an ability he’s having to lean upon more and more these days – and that’s not a good thing.
Diaz landed plenty of heavy leather early on, fizzing Prograis’ senses as he tap danced back to ring sobriety. Regis has always been an honest soldier. He was hurt; we saw him hurt, and there was no denying it. If the New Orleans man hadn’t been in such stellar condition, he may not have made it out of one of those moments.
The championship calibre on display in the University of Illinois was flowing at a fast pace; the first three rounds made doubters believe that Diaz had one more swing at the top. The final three rounds were tight, too. Only one of the three judges seemed to dissent, awarding Prograis victory by a mind-boggling 98-92 margin.
While that man, Mike Fitzgerald, was perhaps filling out a crazy golf scorecard rather than a boxing sheet, his peers’ pair of 96-94 offerings were more accurate representations of the action.
Covered in tattoos, two eye slices dripping blood at various points in the contest, this sober, mellow version of ‘JoJo’ Diaz was too busy thanking his Lord and Saviour and reiterating his dedication as a family man to be angry with the judges.
Diaz has matured from a wayward party animal into a solid veteran, able to soak up punishment, while dishing out his own vengeance, often against opponents way above his comfortable weight class.
For Prograis, meanwhile, he got the win, thus ending a three-fight wobble consisting of two losses (Haney and Catterall) and a skimpy win (over Zorrillo) that many thought he also lost. Father Time may still be on the outside, for now, but he’s effectively doorstepping Prograis, rapping on the knocker waiting to tell ‘Rougarou’ that it’s over.
Josh Taylor retired recently, a downtrodden shadow of his former self, as the Scotsman’s career slid downhill off the back of a fantastic run. The World Boxing Super Series took its toll on Taylor and on his contemporaries. Regis Prograis included.
Were they ever the same after that grinding final? Taylor has gone and Regis is not far behind. The Chicago shakedown was a reminder of his longevity, packed with fun moments. Hit while down from an apologetic Diaz, later thanking Eddie Hearn when it was Oscar back at the helm.
Wherever this 36-year-old, with three losses yet never stopped, goes now, it will be entertaining. The next man to leave those legs shaking might not be as charitable as Diaz in letting him off the hook.
