Prograis Secures Comeback Victory
In an impressive comeback, former world champion Regis Prograis secured a victory in a tough ten-round super lightweight fight against Joseph “JoJo” Diaz, which was part of the undercard for the Oscar Duarte versus Kenneth Sims Jr. bout. Prograis, fighting out of New Orleans and holding a record of 30 wins with 24 knockouts, faced a relentless Diaz from South El Monte, California, who has seen better days with a record of 34-7 and 15 KOs.
Fight Highlights
The contest took a brutal turn when Diaz sustained two significant cuts, one above his left eye due to an accidental headbutt in the fourth round and another in the fifth, yet he continued to press the action.
Despite facing a slip in the fourth round that was ruled by the referee as not a knockdown, Prograis managed to endure the fight’s challenges, emerging victorious with scores from the judges reading 98-92, 96-94, and 96-94, marking a vital comeback after two consecutive losses to Jack Catterall and Devin Haney.
Prograis’ Reflections
Prograis expressed that the initial nerves transformed into focus once the fight began, stating,
“It was like when you have the jitters coming into a fight, then after that you get hit with the first one, and then it’s a fight. I knew it was going to be a fight with him.”
He credited his corner for advising him to keep utilizing his jab, which contributed significantly to his win.
On the subject of his title aspirations following the tough bout against Diaz, Prograis commented,
“People are going to say what they want to say, but I felt like I needed this. JoJo’s a veteran. He’s real tough, and he came to fight. We went ten rounds, ten hard rounds, and that’s something I definitely needed in my bag… For me, I want to get back to being a champion. I want the big money. Big money or a world championship, that’s what I want next.”
Noteworthy Undercard Performances
The undercard also featured some noteworthy performances. Cruiserweight contender Tristan “Sweet T” Kalkreuth (16-1, 11 KOs) showcased his power by defeating Devonte Williams (13-3, 6 KOs) within a mere second of the third round. Heavyweight prospect Joshua Edwards (4-0, 4 KOs), gaining recognition as the next Deontay Wilder, overwhelmed Cayman Audie (4-2, 2 KOs) in just 90 seconds of their bout. No opponent has lasted beyond the second round against Edwards thus far, which hints at his rising star potential, reminiscent of Wilder’s early career.
Yair Gallardo of Mexico (10-0, 8 KOs) maintained his undefeated streak with a dominating performance over veteran Quinton Rankin (21-10-2, 16 KOs), earning scorecards of 79-72 twice and 80-71. Rising star Gael Cabrera (9-0, 6 KOs) kept his momentum going with a knockout over Richard Diaz (3-1-1, 2 KOs) within the first round of their featherweight bout. The event was kicked off with lightweight Mehki Phillips (7-0, 7 KOs), who achieved his seventh consecutive knockout by defeating Joseph Cruz-Brown (12-15, 7 KOs) at 2:27 of the second round.
