“Maybe they chose me because I am 37 now,” Prograis said to Sean Zittel during fight week. “So maybe they think I’m old and I’m not going to be in shape and stuff, and they probably want to try to catch me. That’s probably what they’re thinking.”
This is Benn’s debut under Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing banner. White is famous for wanting high-impact, sure-thing momentum builders. Taking a $15 million gamble on Benn requires a dance partner who brings two-time world champion credentials but might be physically ready to pass the torch.
From a management perspective, Prograis is the perfect opponent for this specific moment. He’s a former champion.
Beating him looks great on a resume. Benn is coming off a middleweight stint and is dropping back down to a 150lb catchweight. He needs someone who is “dangerous” enough to sell tickets but “safe” enough to ensure that $15 million investment pays off.
“Maybe I would think the same thing,” Prograis said. “But I just feel like it’s not going to go the way they expect things to go.”
Prograis is leaning on his been there, done that resume, and he isn’t wrong about the level of opposition. Benn has looked explosive, but there is a massive difference between stopping a shopworn Chris van Heerden and outthinking a two-time world champion who has shared the ring with Josh Taylor and Devin Haney.
Prograis is clearly counting on the idea that Benn’s team has confused a bad patch for a total collapse.
“For me, the thing is I know I can beat him,” Prograis said. “That’s the main thing. Now we’re here. It’s fight week.”
Prograis’ confidence comes from the fact that he has actually operated at the elite level, whereas Benn’s biggest wins are largely over names that were past their sell-by dates: Chris Eubank Jr (35), Chris Algieri (37), and Chris Van Heerden (34 and hadn’t fought in 1.5 years).
Regis sees himself as a completely different animal because he’s still technically a live threat who only recently held a world title.
One thing to watch is this 150lb catchweight. Prograis has never fought this heavy, and Benn is coming down from middleweight. While Benn’s team likely sees this as a size advantage, Prograis seems to think it’s an “alley-oop” that will allow him to keep his strength and chin without the draining cut to 140.
Prograis says it’s “not going to go the way they expecting,” which usually means he plans to drag Benn into deep water. Benn is used to being the hammer. If Prograis can survive the early storm and make it a gritty technical fight, like he did in his bounce-back win over Joseph Diaz, he might just prove that 37 is just a number.
However, if those heavy losses to Haney and Catterall weren’t just bad nights but signs of a cracked chin or slowed reflexes, he’s walking into trouble. Benn tries to delete people.
Read the full article here