Notebook: Prograis believes new deal will include Matias unification
Lot at stake for Akhmedov, Sims; BetUS show, Quick hits, Show & tell
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While there is no signed deal yet, multiple sources with knowledge of the discussions told Fight Freaks Unite that IBF junior welterweight titlist Subriel Marias is nearing a deal to sign with Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn. That is music to the ears of WBC titlist Regis Prograis.
Prograis, who signed with Hearn last week, said one of the various reasons he opted for the deal Hearn offered him over a more lucrative but longer deal Top Rank talked to him about, was because Hearn told him he was nearing a deal with Matias, an opponent Prograis very much wants to fight.
If Matias and Hearn finalize a deal it would put Prograis and Matias on course to meet in early 2024, as long as they win intervening bouts, according to Prograis.
“From what I understand Eddie is close to getting a deal done with Matias. He told me that already, so that’s somebody I want to fight,” Prograis told Fight Freaks Unite this week in an extended interview that will be part of the latest podcast episode debuting Sunday night. “If you look at it, I think besides myself, he’s a beltholder and who’s the most dangerous in the division? It is Matias. I definitely think it’s Matias. He’s supposed to be closing with him and I think that probably at the beginning of next year it will probably be me and Matias for unified.
“I have a belt, he has a belt and that’s the fight I want. He can build his profile up a little bigger. He can get like two fights and build his profile up a little bigger, but I think me and him would have a mega fight, a huge, huge fight. It would be a lot of money and he has a belt. So, that’s (one of the reasons) why I went with Matchroom.”
Another reason was because Matchroom Boxing scheduled Prograis’ first defense immediately. He will face Australian southpaw Liam Paro (23-0, 14 KOs), 27, on June 17 at the Smoothie King Center in Prograis’ hometown of New Orleans. The fight will headline a card on DAZN.
Prograis (28-1, 24 KOs), a 34-year-old southpaw, who won the vacant WBC title by exciting 11th-round knockout of Jose Zepeda on Nov. 26 to become a two-time junior welterweight titleholder, said the deal he signed with Matchroom Boxing is for three fights.
First up is Paro. Then Prograis said he would face another Matchroom 140-pounder (possibly the recently-signed Jack Catterall or the winner of the fight between Richardson Hitchins and Montana Love in the works for July 15) later in the year and then he hopes it will be Matias to unify, assuming Hearn and Matias finalize a contract.
Matias (19-1, 19 KOs), 31, of Puerto Rico, has had his last five fights with PBC, including knocking out Jeremias Ponce in the fifth round on Feb. 25 to win the vacant IBF title in his most recent bout.
In his post-fight interview on Showtime, Matias immediately called out Prograis.
“Regis Prograis, I’m coming for you,” Matias said. “I’m the world champion now. I promise that I’m coming to hurt you. Prograis likes to talk the talk, but I have that same mentality. Let’s see who prevails. I want him to see that there are people crazier than him in this sport.”
Akhmedov-Sims clash
Junior welterweight Kenneth Sims Jr. was a highly regarded prospect before he was knocked off track by a rough stretch in 2017 and 2018 in which he went 1-2-1.
But the onetime standout amateur has put together six wins in a row since to work his way into the most significant fight of his career when he meets Batyr Akhmedov in a WBA title eliminator in the opening fight of the PBC tripleheader topped by Rolando Romero versus Ismael Barroso for the vacant WBA junior welterweight title on Saturday (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET) at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
Sims (19-2-1, 7 KOs), 29, of Chicago, knows this fight can be a career-maker or a career-breaker.
“This fight is super important to me. Everyone here knows that a couple of years ago, I wasn’t in this conversation,” Sims said this week. “I don’t ever want to leave this conversation again. In order for that to happen, I have to take care of business.
“I’ve been extremely focused for the last two years. I’m not a young pup anymore. I’m prepared to do whatever I have to do in the ring to get the win and keep my train rolling. There have been a lot of things that have changed with me over the last couple of years. Honestly, I didn’t know what I was doing in the first phase of my career. I was just in there and fighting off straight athletic ability. I never applied what I actually know.”
He has taken his strength and conditioning and nutrition more seriously in recent years and believes it will pay off for him.
“When I say I’m ready for whatever, I mean it,” Sims said. “No matter what I have to do — if boxing isn’t working, I can fight. I’m not scared of a fight. I think Batyr should be world champion right now and I believe that the winner of this fight should get to fight for the title.”
In his last fight, Akhmedov (9-2, 8 KOs), 32, an Uzbekistan native fighting out of Los Angeles, lost a disputed split decision to Alberto Puello for the vacant WBA title in August, also on Showtime.
Puello tested positive for a banned substance last month and was dropped from the main event against Romero and stripped of the title.
“I’m very happy to be back with this fight,” Akhmedov said. “It definitely bothers me what happened since my fight against Alberto Puello. Of course, I want to be fighting for the title, but it is what it is. I took this fight one month after that Puello fight, and now we’re here fighting a tough contender.
“This is a tough fight and I’m happy to be here. I have big opportunities in front of me, and it’s up to me to go get them.”
BetUS Boxing Show
If you missed the BetUS Boxing Show live at 1 p.m. ET on Friday on YouTube, please check out the replay (and also subscribe to the YouTube channel). We previewed and picked the three world title bouts that take place Saturday: Rolando Romero-Ismael Barroso for the vacant WBA junior welterweight title; Janibek Alimkhanuly defending the WBO middleweight title against Steven Butler and Jason Moloney-Vincent Astrolabio for the vacant WBO bantamweight title. We also took viewer questions and comments! Please check out the show here:
Quick hits
Weights from Las Vegas for Saturday’s PBC Showtime card: Rolando Romero 139.5 pounds, Ismael Barroso 139.5 (for vacant WBA junior welterweight title); Rances Barthelemy 142.5, Omar Juarez 142.25; Batyr Akhmedov 138.75, Kenneth Sims Jr. 139.25 (WBA junior welterweight eliminator); Esteuri Metiver Suero 139.2, Starling Castillo 139.6; Michael Angeletti 118.2, Michell Banquez 118.8; Justin Viloria 127.6, Pedro Pinillo 129.2; Angel Barrientes 121.2, Sharone Carter 122; Chavez Barrientes 121, Juan Centeno 122; Yojanler Martinez 165.4, Dario Guerrero-Meneses 165.6; David Whitmire 148.8, Javier Vargas 150.
Weights from Stockton, Calif., for Saturday’s Top Rank ESPN card: Janibek Alimkhanuly 159.2 pounds, Steven Butler 159.6 (for Alimkhanuly’s WBO middleweight title); Jason Moloney 117.8, Vincent Astrolabio 117.2 (for vacant WBO bantamweight title); Gabriel Flores Jr. 134.4, Derrick Murray 134.4; Javier Martinez 161.2, Joeshon James 161.2; Ruben Villa 126.4, Maickol Lopez Villagrana 126.6; Amado Vargas 129.4, Bernardo Manzano 129.6; Brian Norman Jr. 148, Jesus Perez 147. An eight-round junior lightweight bout between Haven Brady Jr. and D’Angelo Fuentes was scrapped because Brady was so overweight he did not go to the weigh-in. He has had weight issues for multiple fights.
Per the California State Athletic Commission, official contract purses for the Top Rank ESPN card Saturday night in Stockton: Janibek Alimkhanuly $300,000, Steven Butler $75,000; Jason Moloney $50,000, Vincent Astrolabio $85,000; Gabriel Flores Jr. $20,000, Derrick Murray $10,000; Javier Martinez $8,000, Joeshon James $12,000; Ruben Villa $25,000, Maickol Lopez Villagrana $10,000; Amado Vargas $4,000, Bernardo Manzano $4,000; Brian Norman Jr. $15,000, Jesus Perez $20,000.
Boxxer promoter Ben Shalom announced that Bournemouth, England officials have granted a license to expand the seating capacity to 15,000 for a card at Vitality Stadium on May 27 (Sky Sports in the U.K.), which will make it the biggest non-soccer event to take place there. England’s Lawrence Okolie (19-0, 14 KOs), 30, defends the WBO cruiserweight title against longtime pal and sparring partner, and Bournemouth’s own, Chris Billam-Smith (17-1, 12 KOs), 32, in the main event. Typically, the stadium seats 11,300. “Bournemouth has turned out to be a sleeping giant of the British boxing scene,” Shalom said. “The atmospheres at both our Bournemouth events have been indescribable and I really cannot wait to see what level things go to when the main event fighters are walking out at the Vitality Stadium on May 27th.”
Los Angeles-based Ukrainian junior middleweight Serhii Bohachuk (22-1, 22 KOs), 28, will defend his regional belt in a 10-rounder against former world title challenger Patrick Allotey (42-4, 32 KOs), of Ghana, in the main event of a 360 Promotions card on July 22 (UFC Fight Pass) at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California, promoter Tom Loeffler announced. Bohachuk has won four in a row since an eighth-round knockout loss to Brandon Adams in 2021. Allotey has won two in a row since a fourth-round knockout loss challenging then-WBO junior middleweight titlist Jaime Munguia in 2019.
Show and tell
If there was a boxing Mount Rushmore there is no doubt that the likeness of the great heavyweight champion Joe Louis would have to be included. He reigned as champion — when there was only one champion per division and only eight divisions — from 1937, when he knocked out “Cinderella Man” James Braddock in the eighth round, until he announced what became a brief retirement in March 1949. Louis, who also served in World War II, was as big of a 20th Century sports star as there was and he held the heavyweight title longer than anyone ever (11 years, 8 months, 8 days). During that time he made a record 25 consecutive title defenses, which remains the record for any weight class. Louis was born on May 13, 1914 — 109 years ago on Saturday. I have collected many Louis cards over the years but here are two of my favorites in my collection: a rookie card from the 1935 J.A. Pattreiouex Sporting Events & Stars set and a glossy version of his card from the 1938 F.C. Cartledge Famous Prize Fighters set from England, where they were included as a bonus in the company’s packages of razor blades.
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Photos: Prograis/Hearn: Melina Pizano/Matchroom Boxing; Akhmedov-Sims: Esther Lin/Showtime; Alimkhanuly-Butler: Mikey Williams/Top Rank
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Boxing “Bogeymen” are always interesting to me. Typically they’re from “Eastern Europe with a Great Amateur Record”. All come with the requisite Finger Pointing and Excuses as to why they can’t make a Big Fight. Janibek was well on his way to being the next one. That’s over, luckily. Then there’s the ones like Bud Crawford or Regis Prograis. There’s some truth to their Tale of Woe. But typically they still make a lot of money, all the while mismanaging their careers. Regis out here roasting Jose Ramirez. But yet he has no interest in a rematch with the only guy to beat him, Josh Taylor? Signs with Matchroom and avoids all of those big fights on the biggest U.S. platform, ESPN. Curious, to say the least. Oh well.