Regis Prograis was finally crowned super lightweight champion of the world three years after he first should have unified.
“Rougarou” was on the wrong end of a bad decision against Josh Taylor in October 2019 after seemingly beating the Scot on his own turf.
But as is the nature of United Kingdom scoring, Prograis never lifted the title above his head as Taylor got a controversial nod, not for the first time in his career.
This time around, Prograis wasn’t taking any chances. He halted Jose Zepeda in the eleventh round of a barnstorming battle.
Regis Prograis – WBC champion
A full 35 months after he should have held three versions of the 140-pound crown, Prograis took his rightful place as the best in the division.
Discussing his victory post-fight, Prograis mentioned Taylor as a potential future opponent.
“Yeah, he was probably the toughest guy I’ve fought,” Prograis said. “He took a lot of punches.
“He hit hard. You can tell by his knockouts that he does have a lot of power. But he was quicker, had a good jab, and was strong.
“He probably was my most formidable opponent, if not my toughest opponent. By the third round, I started moving my head, and he was missing a lot of punches.
“When I moved my head, his jab went over my head. When I started boxing, that’s when he began running into punches.
“He started getting weaker. I wouldn’t say he was a front-runner, but my wind was better. When I boxed, I wouldn’t know it was easy, but it was easier.
“I feel like I showed a complete package. Of course. This thing [WBC belt] is like gold. Last three years, nobody has been saying my name. Now I have this, and everybody will start calling me out.
“I just saw that he was hurt. Once I saw he was hurt, I went for the kill. Earlier, I thought I would get an early stoppage because he was cut.
“The referee said that he was cut, and a punch caused the cut.
“Jose Ramirez has been ducking me for five years. Now that I got this belt, he wants to fight me. I’m trying to be more humble.”
Jose Zepeda
On Zepeda, Prograis added: “I really feel he will be a champion, but it wasn’t his night tonight.
“Both of us had the same power in the left hand, so I was watching out for his, and he was watching out for mine.
“Early in the fight, he was staying away. I hit him a few times on the side of the head, but it wasn’t on the button.
“It just took a little while before I could start finding him. I remember hitting him with a left-hand body shot; it was hard and hurt him. I want to stay at 140.
“Everyone knows that Josh Taylor would be on my hit list if I had a hit list. I think there will be a lot of opportunities out there for me, but we’ll see what they say.”
Prograis’ win sees the 33-year-old make another move in the WBN Pound for Pound Rankings. Already four places above Taylor, Prograis overtakes Jack Catterall [at 21] to cement his place as the top star in the division.
