“Going in, I knew I was going to retire. This is my last fight, I knew this months ago,” Prograis said to Ring Magazine following his loss to Benn. “The rumors about me being hurt were true. I wanted to pull out of this fight so bad a month ago, but kept pushing. I was terrified and thinking about pulling out even yesterday.”
Prograis listed injuries to his right hand, eye, jaw, and ribs. He said none of them worsened during the fight.
“My right hand was messed up, my eye, my jaw, rib injury, a bunch of things, but it all held up,” he said. “Nothing I was scared of happened in the ring.”
Prograis was very vocal during fight week, insisting he was “perfectly fine” and “good to fight.” To then list a broken hand, eye, jaw, and rib injuries immediately after the final bell feels like a bait-and-switch to many. Fans expect transparency, even though fighters often hide injuries to keep a massive payday from falling through.
He described the fight as a fitting close, pointing to the setting and opponent.
“It’s a great fight to be my last against someone like Conor Benn, an arena like this with 70,000 in a stadium,” Prograis said. “Perfect end to my story.”
Prograis added that retirement had been on his mind since his bout with Joseph Diaz last August, with family considerations playing a role.
“Physically, I still can do it, emotionally it’s hard,” Regis said. “I train in Vegas, my kids live in Texas, it’s hard to keep leaving my kids.”
He also acknowledged fear during fight week and on the day of the bout, but said he was relieved he went through with it.
“I wanted to pull out today, but so glad I didn’t,” Prograis said. “I went the ten rounds with Conor, perfect ending.”
Fan reaction has been split following Prograis’ admission. Some argued the injuries cast the result in a different light and reflected poorly on Benn’s performance, while others were more critical of Prograis for not disclosing the issues earlier after insisting he was healthy during fight week.
There was also frustration from bettors, with some pointing out they placed wagers without knowing he had entered the fight carrying multiple pre-existing injuries.
Instead of people talking about Conor’s performance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the conversation is dominated by whether he just beat a “shell” of Prograis. It undercuts the significance of the victory for Benn’s resume as he moves into this new Zuffa Boxing era.
Prograis said he leaves the sport satisfied with what he achieved and able to move on to the next phase of his life.
Read the full article here