by Keith Idec
Regis Prograis pulled quite a receipt as Eddie Hearn tried to wrap up a press conference Thursday afternoon in Manchester for his fight with Jack Catterall.
As Hearn – whose company, Matchroom Boxing, promotes Prograis and Catterall – prepared to pose Prograis and Catterall for photos on stage, Prograis interjected. The former WBA/WBC 140-pound champion played a recording of Catterall’s manager, Sam Jones, telling Prograis during a phone call at least two years ago in which Jones stated Prograis would “flatten” Catterall if they fought.
Prograis, who will face Catterall in a 12-round, non-title fight Saturday night at Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, never revealed exactly when the abovementioned conversation took place. Jones and Prograis agreed that Jones made his prediction before he became Catterall’s manager, but Prograis pointed out, too, that this was a damning statement from a member of Team Catterall.
Below is how the entire exchange between Prograis and Jones:
Prograis: Wait, wait, wait! I got something else to say. I’mma slash everything right now. A long time ago, Sam Jones, his manager – where you at, Sam? Sam actually said I will beat Jack’s ass. A long time ago, right? And I got proof right now. If y’all wanna hear it, I got proof. He said [I would] flatten him.
Jones: Right hand to God – never said that. You are – listen, you been hit in the head too much by Devin Haney, my friend.
Prograis: Watch this. Watch this – watch! Listen, everybody. Be quiet, be quiet.
Jones (recorded conversation): I like Jack, by the way. I know him very well. But I do think you flatten him. You understand what I mean? Because you’re a different guy to Josh Taylor. Jack wants to fight you, but I think [inaudible].
Jones: I know when that was. I know when that was. Regis, I’ve got some messages of you, so just think very carefully before you play that next one. … This is before I knew Jack. This is before I knew Jack. I’d never met Jack before. I had never met Jack. I had never met Jack. I’ve only known him two years. Regis, I’ve got some messages of you, and they’ll be posted later.”
Prograis: Go ahead, do it. That’s fine.
Hearn then asked Jones for his prediction of what will happen when they square off in a main event DAZN will stream worldwide.
Jones: Jack’s gonna beat him.
Prograis: That ain’t what you just said. You already said that.
Jones: That was two, three years ago? Two years ago? Tell me the date. Tell me the date, when it was.
Prograis: You said it, though, right? First off he said I got hit too many times. And now he said, ‘Oh, it was two years ago.’ What was it, Sam? Come on, you flip-flopping.
Jones: Regis, Regis, you’ve said nothing the whole build-up, the whole build-up. And I’ve been nothing but respectful to you, but now I’m gonna dig up some stuff on you, my friend.
Prograis: That’s fine. Let’s go face off.
DAZN’s coverage of the Catterall-Prograis undercard is scheduled to begin Saturday at 7 p.m. GMT in the UK and 2 p.m. ET in the United States. Most sportsbooks list Chorley’s Catterall (29-1, 13 KOs) as at least a 4-1 favorite to beat Prograis (29-2, 24 KOs), a New Orleans native who will fight for the first time since his lopsided loss to Devin Haney in their 12-round fight for the WBC super lightweight title Haney (31-0, 15 KOs, 1 NC) won from him.