Speaker 1: Well, it's my great pleasure to welcome back to our
podcast or another appearance getting ready for another important fights,
none other than the former two times Junior Wealth the
Weight world champion, Regis Prograt. Regis, thank you so much
for joining me. We're here to talk about you have
a very significant fight coming up. It's against Jack patterall
in at the New co Op Live in Manchester, England
and the headline the Mattroom Boxing card on October twenty sixth.
On his own welcome, I know you're in training camp
getting ready for the fight. First of all, just tell
me just your your general thoughts about you know, preparing
yet again for another you know, highly significant fight in
the junior wealthweight division.
Speaker 2: I mean, I'm excited about it, you know, I'm definitely
excited something I'm really it's something I can kind of
look forward to. It's something I'm excited about. It's something
that it's a fight that I've been wanting for a
little while. And you know, it happened.
Speaker 3: I think me and Jack we're supposed to fight maybe like.
Speaker 2: Two or three years ago, and maybe like two years
ago and it just kind of just never happened. And
you know, now is you know, I guess now's a
good time and I think this is the biggest fight
you can make at one four. And besides, you know
people with the belts, so I think it's you know,
it's a great fight.
Speaker 3: It's a good fight, and I'm just excited about it.
Speaker 1: Well, you mentioned about how maybe there was a conversation
about maybe two guys would have hooked up in a
fight a couple of years ago. You were supposed to
fight each other on August twenty fourth, just a few
months ago. He had to postpone the fight because he
suffered a rib injury. And it was only like less
than a month or so, or just about a month
or so before the fight. So both of you guys
are already in training camp, You're already doing your sparring,
You're deep in you're spending money on the camp and
the whole thing, and everybody's preparing for the event. And
then unfortunately, you know it's not your first rodeo, it
got postponed. Can you just sort of think back then,
just give me your emotions and your thoughts about when
you heard, oh damn, you know this fight was postponed
and just you know, just having to kind of get
back in the mentality of starting camp over again at
some point, right.
Speaker 3: I mean I was pissed. I was really pissed. I
mean the main thing was because because I went to Vegas.
Speaker 2: I went out there, I was in Vegas train, I
was running, I was doing everything else to do sparring.
I mean, I had a real, real tight just just
my my schedule was just super tight. It was just
literally like boxing all day long. And and then you know,
coming out of pocket. You know, nobody, you know, Matt
Trim never gave me no type of camp money and
nothing like that.
Speaker 3: I came out of my own pocket.
Speaker 2: I went out to Vegas and I was training, and
then they told me the fight was postponed. So it
really you know, it bothered me a lot, but it
bothered me more.
Speaker 3: It bothered me about.
Speaker 2: You know that I was training, because you know, it's
you know, when I was out.
Speaker 3: There training, it was good. It was good sparring, it
was good work, it was it was just a whole
it was a good vibe all around.
Speaker 2: But the thing that bothered me is just like, you know,
I did all this and I paid all this out
of pocket, and you know, it's like basically it's for nothing.
Speaker 1: So that the thing, let me ask you that that
then you mentioned about the financial hit, and I mean
what people with fans, I don't think sometimes realize is
that a fighters, they don't get paid till the fight
happens number one and number two. While there are certain fights,
the biggest fights, uh, fighters get advances or get consideration
and for training expenses you just mentioned it, did I
just if you don't mind how much how much out
of pocket you come to us to do that bunch
of weeks of camp where you're not getting paid and
now you got to start up the camp again, right.
Speaker 2: I was up there for about a month. I mean,
it wasn't that bad. Maybe like ten or fifteen thousand.
I came out of pocket, you know, it's I mean,
it's it's it's not it's not that much, but at
the same time, it's still something. It's still something that
I have to come out of pocket with. Nobody gave
me no type of money. It wasn't you know, it
was all me coming out. You know, I had to
I had to fly my trainers out there. It's like
one of my trainers out there. I had to share
my car out there. I had to pay for lodging
for my trainer. Luckily I have honestly live out there,
so I did that.
Speaker 3: You still have to pay.
Speaker 2: I had to pay my shelf, I had to pay
up for all my food, all that type of stuff.
So you know that was like the bad thing about it.
Speaker 1: But partners also you pay, yes, so you know.
Speaker 2: You have to do all that type of stuff. And
but listen, it it happens. You know, I understand it happens,
and it is what it is, and I wasn't. I'm
glad that you know, they they postponed. It wasn't just
canceled all the way and it was postponed.
Speaker 1: So when you hear that he has a rib injury,
and you know that they didn't. They didn't say it's
an elbow or a hand, it's a rib injury. Do
you make that a point in the back of your
mind to say, you know what, I'm gonna make sure
I target his ribcage when it comes time for the fight.
Speaker 2: Oh of course, I mean I don't know if it's
true or not, but yeah, of course. I mean, look,
you have an injury, of course I'm gonna go target bit.
Speaker 3: You know, no matter what, that's what I'm gonna target.
Speaker 2: So, you know, and I don't know if it's really
I don't know if it's stay that's what.
Speaker 3: I heard, you know, but you know, we can hear
all kinds of stuff.
Speaker 2: So yeah, that's that'll that'll be, you know, one of
the places I'll talget.
Speaker 1: Now, you're essentially gonna be fighting in his hometown he
lives about I looked up on Google Maps. It's about
forty five fifty minutes between his hometown to Chorley and
the arena where you're fighting in Manchester. Obviously it's a
hometown fight for him. Did you have any qualms about
taking your show on the road to go there. You're
on the short end of a very close, excellent fight
against Josh Taylor a few years ago in your two
thousand and nine teen unification also in the UK, which
I guess hasn't been the kindest to read this program.
What's your mentality about going into the lines done again.
Speaker 3: I'm not really tripping about it.
Speaker 2: You know, It's like something I don't really think about,
but I'm not really tripping about it.
Speaker 3: At the same time, I want to be a you know,
I want to be a world champion again.
Speaker 2: And whatever it takes to get to that world championship
status again, I'll just do it.
Speaker 3: I just I know that Jack is not on my level.
Speaker 2: I know I'm a way better fighter, So it really
doesn't it doesn't matter whether.
Speaker 3: Fighter's gonna take place.
Speaker 2: I just I know that I'm way better, you know,
Like I said I said earlier.
Speaker 3: You know, it's a different interviews.
Speaker 2: Like, man, you can check my resume, check what I did,
you know, I mean, I had two bad performances. But listen,
I just know that Jack is just he's not on
my levels, know where close to being on my level.
Speaker 3: So it doesn't matter.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they have the you know, the hometown stuff going on.
But for me, listen, I think that makes me hungry.
And I know that people kind of write me up.
But it's a good thing for me, you know, because
I'm a shock everybody.
Speaker 1: All Right. So he beat Josh Taylor by a very
clear decision in his last fight, took place in May.
A lot most people think he won the first fight,
so he should have two wins against and that was
the split decision that he suffered. The loss and the
undisputed title fight back in twenty twenty two. Uh, you
lost a really close, outstanding fight to Josh Taylor in
a two thing, like I said in the twenty nineteen unification.
So I always wonder like how fighters sort of view
this does the fact that he beat Taylor most people
think twice you lost to him, all be it very close.
Now you're fighting him, does that mean anything? The fact
that he beat that.
Speaker 2: Guy and he didn't absolutely no. Styles makes fights. You know,
styles made fights. You know, Dan, You've been in boxing
for a long time. That doesn't That absolutely means absolutely
nothing at all.
Speaker 3: Styles make fights. That doesn't matter. He might just have
Taylor's number, that's all, you know, that's all. But he's
he's not gonna have my number.
Speaker 2: So now it's just it's a styles make fights type
of thing, and that's just how that's how I go.
Speaker 1: So did you ever watch the fight? Well, I guess
the last fight that he had in May, But you
did you watch that fight? And did you think did
you watch the first fight that was the one that
caused so much controversy, And if so for me, I.
Speaker 2: Think I thought that first fight, the first fight, I
thought he won that fight. The second fight it was closer.
You know, I'm not gonna say he won or lost.
He obviously won a fight, but it was a it
was a it was a I felt like it was
a closer fight for the second fight. But it's just
like you kind of you kind of old. He was like,
you kind of have to give it to him, But
I mean, it was it was.
Speaker 3: A close fight.
Speaker 2: I think Taylor first the action were I know Bob
was pissed.
Speaker 3: You know, he got the ring. He said that, you know,
they Taylor.
Speaker 2: Really want to fight, and it was it was a
it was a way closer fight than a first fight. Now,
but I do think that he deserved that win because
he won the first one.
Speaker 1: Now, I know, you got the fight obviously that you
got to deal with Caterroll and in front of you
and we're talking a little bit about his performance against Taylor.
You had your fight against Taylor, and down the road,
whatever happens in this fight, win, lose, or draw, do
you have it in your back of your mind that
someday you'd like to do it again with Josh Taylor.
Was such a great fight the first time, It was
so competitive, big stakes unification fight. It seems to me
that at some point for both of you guys, it
might make sense.
Speaker 2: Man, it depends, you know, it depends on what happens,
what goes on. Like for me, my my goal is
to be a champion again.
Speaker 3: That's it.
Speaker 2: So if Josh Taylor happens to become a champion, of
course I welcome that.
Speaker 3: I'm definitely all.
Speaker 2: If they tell me, after this, listen, you fight Joss
Taill and then you have then you fight for the belt,
then yeah, it's cool, we'll fight Joss Tailor again. But
for me, it's it's not even a name, it's not
no more names. It's just like I want I want
to be a three time champion. That's something one of
my I was dal behind that lead who was a
three time champion, and that's something I want to do.
I want to become a three time champion. And after
that then I'll figure out what's going on. So whatever
leads me and that in that direction, that's the direction.
Speaker 3: I go in.
Speaker 1: So a lot of times when we have these fights
that come up, a lot of discussion turns toward if
one guy is a right handed fighter, one guy's at
south paw. It's not usually the most comfortable or normal
thing let's say for the righty to be facing the lefty.
In this particular case, you and Jack a bol South
boys both left handed fighters, and most of your fights
are against right handed fighters. So I always wonder when
I'm talking to the lefty, how is it to go
in with another lefty? Does it? Does it bothers me?
Speaker 3: Not me?
Speaker 2: If you look at most of the fight they've been
most of my fight has been a lot of my
fights been left handed fighters, you know, you studding, You
know if you look at people just at the time
of Hey, you look at like Onango ivor Red Cash,
Jose's a paida town of McKenna, we both shim Josh here.
You know I named five people just now and that's
all left.
Speaker 3: Handed fightles, you know.
Speaker 2: So nahs, Yeah, I mean no, I don't feel untucked
with at all.
Speaker 1: All right, Well, you mentioned before by the way that
you said, you know you had a couple of tough fights.
Uh in the most recent past. Uh you had the
split decision where you won the fight at home in
New Orleans against den Alito's area. But even you know
that was in defense of your title back in June
of twenty twenty three. But even you admitted that was
not a good performance. I mean you know that everybody
the watch it knows that you did get the victory.
Speaker 3: Uh.
Speaker 1: And then the next fight, Uh, that was the loss
to Devin Haney where you lost the belt in December.
You know you got shut out, you got knocked down.
Speaker 3: Uh.
Speaker 1: How I mean those are those are a lot of guys.
It's harder from those types of performances in a row.
But how big of it is not only for you
to go in there and do your thing against Catterroll,
but to do it in at least somewhat impressive manager
to show, Hey, listen, you know what. I went through
my rough pass, but I'm still one of the top
fighters at one hundred and forty pounds, right.
Speaker 2: That's and that's exactly what I'm coming proof. You know,
I want to I want to just like erase it,
and I know I can. I know I am, you know,
like I'm back in the gym and I'm just being
me again. That's the thing, you know, I spoiled in
the gym to day, and I mean my my train
was like, man, that's the old regis. You're looking like
the old regions. And that's how I want to come
and I felt like, yeah, I had. I had a
lot of stuff going on, you know, management issues and
all kinds of stuff like that. Just it was just
too much going on on my plate that I had
to think about. Now it's just like it's all I
think about.
Speaker 3: Is back to boxing.
Speaker 2: I actually change some things up in my team as
far as like management wise, and they're taking care of that.
Speaker 3: But at that time, you know, I don't know if
we spoke back in the.
Speaker 2: Day a few like a year ago or something like that,
but I was, I was I was self managing myself.
I was doing everything myself, and you know, at that time,
I remember interviews with people and like you you manage yourself,
and I thought that, yeah, I could do this and
I didn't need a manager.
Speaker 3: But I feel like, yeah, now I know that I
do need to measure.
Speaker 2: That is an important job because they take everything off
they take everything off your plate.
Speaker 3: So now all I do is focus on fighting.
Speaker 2: I don't have to focus on nothing else and now
just focus on boxing. So yeah, I think for me,
it was like a mental thing. Physically, I can still
do all the stuff. I still that's the thing. Boxing
is more mental than physically and physically I still do
all the stuff. I mean, it's a pointing time where
you have to be honest with yourself and can.
Speaker 3: You still do this? Can you still do it? And
in a gym, I mean.
Speaker 2: I'm looking I know, I'm looking real good. I mean
I can't leak my spartan stuff like that, but I'm
looking super good. I'm like, I'm real fast, I'm strong,
I can still hear. Everything is still there. So it's
all so I know it was all a mental thing.
And my coaches they'll be honest with all my people
around me, they'll be honest with there, Like god, damn,
like you looking, man, You're looking so good, Like I've
been looking like real real sweet in the gym right now.
Speaker 3: So I know all that stuff was a mental tank
about a mental thing.
Speaker 2: So like now it's just like, you know, getting back
to be that's the main thing.
Speaker 3: Get back to being Regions program. That's what I need
to do.
Speaker 1: So when you lose the way you did against Devin Haney,
I mean you'd have to wonder. I understand a guy loses.
You got stuff going on outside during like you mentioned,
maybe some of it's mental and you were busy trying
to be a manager, random fighter and all that together.
But when you don't win around it would cause one
to maybe questions say, hey, you know, you know, I
need to assess that performance. You talk about being you know,
you know, in your top level in the gym, getting
ready for this fight, But what the heck happened against Haney.
Speaker 3: It's one thing.
Speaker 1: It's one thing to lose to fight Regis, you know,
but to frankly not compete to kind of a different mix.
Speaker 3: Would I know I wasn't me. I just wasn't meet
at night.
Speaker 2: What happens, I don't know, and I can't. I still
can't tell people what happened. I just I feel like
I definitely felt like I wasn't meet. I'm not I
wasn't regional program. I didn't do it, and I didn't
do the things even in campus stuff like that lead
them to the fight. I let a lot of hype
get to my head, and I just the main thing,
you know, long story short, I just wasn't me. I
can I can go on about what happened in camp
and what happened out of camp, but you know we.
Speaker 3: Don't have time for that.
Speaker 1: Have you ever gone back and watched that fight. No,
okay watching, Yeah.
Speaker 2: Didn't watch it because I know that that.
Speaker 3: Person that was fighting it wasn't me.
Speaker 2: Even in a ring that night, I didn't feel like
I just felt like I wasn't me at all.
Speaker 3: So it's like, why would I watch something that's not me?
You know, it doesn't It really doesn't make sense at all.
Speaker 1: So I asked that Because I'll go back a little ways.
I remember having an interview many years ago with the
great heavyweight cham Vladimir Klitchko, who, in the worst night
of his life, got absolutely uh embarrassed by Layman Brewster
in a vacant heavyweight championship fight, and he was telling
me he's watching all these films getting ready for fights.
I asked him what he's watching. I thought, he's watching like,
you know, Joe Lewis fights, or Muhammad Ali fights or
this night. He's like, no, I'm watching myself get beat
by Leman Brewster. Because you never wanted to forget what happened.
That's why I asked that about going back to watch
a loss. Yeah, did you ever think about that aspect
of it to maybe like I'm thinking about.
Speaker 3: It now, Hey, I might go and watch it.
Speaker 2: Wait the way you say it, So now I might
take a page of that book.
Speaker 3: I might, I might go through that. I might go
watch it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, he said, Listen, I don't ever want to forget
how I tell the Night. So I'm gonna keep watching that,
and you know it'll motivate me when I go into
my next fight. So I don't perform like that again.
And frankly, you never did perform again like that. All right, well,
so I just want to wrap up with this. Then.
You know, I'm not big into like boxing cliches. I'm
sure you've heard them all, but coming off of that
type of defeat, uh, and now being back in a
big spot, like you mentioned, this is probably on paper
one of the best fights you can make in the
weight class that's not in one of the championship fights.
And so for you to go into this fight off
of that, like again, not to be into the cliches,
but how much do you view it as a quote
unquote must win in terms of, you know, advancing your
career to get back to that level where you want
to be a champigain.
Speaker 3: For me, I just know I'm gonna win.
Speaker 2: It's not even like I don't put the pressure on
myself to be like, oh it's a must win and
this and that, and like I said, it's the same,
you know, if I want to get to that pressure
is the same thing with like with the Haney stuff,
like oh I.
Speaker 3: Have to do this, I have to do this.
Speaker 2: And then like I compete it terribly because I let
all that pressure get through my head. I box just
because I love it.
Speaker 3: You know, you have to.
Speaker 2: You have to just enjoy the sport. You have to
That's that's and that's what I'm doing. I'm getting back
to just enjoying. I get back to I remember last camp,
you know where Haiti I was going as Sparing and
you know, I just I put so much pressure on
myself to do this and do this and do this,
and now like I'm just in a gym just having fun.
And that's what I do for I do it. I
literally just box because I just enjoy it. I really
have fun boxing, and that's it, and that's what I
you know, that's the main thing I want to do.
Go out there enjoying myself. And like the thing is
like live be in the moment, be present in that moment.
Don't think about you know the past, don't think about
the future, just be present right in that moment.
Speaker 3: And that's kind of what I want to do.
Speaker 2: And that's kind of what I've been doing, you know,
Like I said, just training, sparring, all that, just having
fun and being back to being me.
Speaker 1: Well, I'm gonna look forward to watching you back to
being you come October twenty six against Jack Catterall. Regis,
thank you very much for your time. I appreciate it
and I certainly wish you the best of luck in
the fight.
Speaker 3: Thank man, thank you. M