Prograis leaves behind ‘kill’ mode for Catterall fight

REGIS PROGRAIS says he will have no need to “fight angry” against Jack Catterall.

The two super-lightweights meet in the main event at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester this Saturday night. An upbeat Prograis spoke to Boxing News at last week’s public workout and his mood was a stark contrast to the one he had in the build-up to last year’s fight against Devin Haney. Both camps were full of animosity and hatred but it was Haney who triumphed on fight night and recorded a shut-out to win the WBC super-lightweight title.

“I feel like they definitely got in my head,” Prograis said.

“If you look at my demeanour it was just way different. I want[ed] to kill Devin. At that time I wish I could just strangle Devin. I don’t want to talk too violent but now this is not street stuff, this is fun, this is boxing, this is to see who the best fighter is, that’s what me and Jack gonna do.

“Next Saturday we gonna go in the ring, we can see who the best fighter is. It don’t have to go nothing beyond that. I feel like my fights before I wanted to go beyond it. That’s not what this is about.”

Certain athletes, however, need that edge to perform at their best but Prograis doesn’t believe he is one of them.

“When I’m good and loose I’m good,” he said.

“When I’m good and loose I’m happy. I remember when I won the title from [Jose] Zepeda. At the time Zepeda was a killer and I fought him in his hometown, fought him in L.A. I remember walking out to the arena and people was booing me and I was smiling. I was happy to be there.

“I’m going to come out at the Co-op arena, I’m pretty sure I’m going to get some boos because I’m in his [Catterall] hometown but I’m going to be happy about it. I can’t wait and that’s how it was with Zepeda, that’s how it was with a bunch of other fighters. I was happy to be there.”