Regis Prograis To Josh Taylor: I want my belts back!

By G. Leon

02/12/2019

Regis Prograis To Josh Taylor: I want my belts back!

Greg Leon: You've had some time to review and reflect on your fight with Josh Taylor. Can you give us some thoughts on your performance? Regis Prograis: "First off I thought that I won the fight. I think I did enough to win the fight, I just didn't get the decision. I didn't complain about it, but it was a close fight. I kind of expected with me going over there that I was going to have to knock him out to win the fight. I thought I was going to stop him, I felt like I had to stop him going over there and I felt like I was going to stop him. I know I hurt him a few times, I'm not going to sit here and say that I came close to stopping him, but it haunts me to this day that I had him hurt a few times and just let him off the hook. I still can't bring myself to watch the fight yet. I know that watching the fight is going to get me in fight mode and I can't do nothing about that right now, so that's why I ain't going to watch it right now."
 
GL: So you haven't looked at the fight at all?
 
RP: "Nope."
 
GL: It sounds like you feel you would have gotten the decision had the fight taken place anywhere else. Is that the case?
 
RP: "Pretty much, I knew it was going to be hard to get a decision over there. It was a close fight, I just thought I did enough to win it. I don't want to go too hard on the punch stats because that doesn't always tell the fight, but the punch stats had me throwing more and landing more power shots. That should tell something. Of course it doesn't tell the fight, but it should tell something. I still give credit to him though because he was way tougher than I thought he would be. I was thinking this little skinny white dude man, as soon as I hit him I'm going to hurt him. I hit him and I give him credit, he definitely took my punches."
 
GL: Is this one of those things where you're a victim of your own success? After running through the first 24 the way you did, at what point did you know this guy was a little bit different?
 
RP: "He was different, maybe so. Maybe not though at the same time. I knew it was going to be a hard fight based on his experience. He was very experienced and he's been hurt before and he's got good recuperative powers. When I hurt him he would grab and hold for a little bit and then be back on it and I've got to give him credit for that. The main thing was I gave away some of the middle rounds. I feel like I came on really strong down the stretch, the middle rounds I just gave some of them away. I told my corner that he couldn't hurt me. He was strong, he was powerful, but he couldn't hurt me. That's why I kind of let him hit me, I thought it was going to tire him out and it didn't. He was a really good inside fighter. I didn't watch the fight yet, but off the experience of being in the fight, my main thing is I let the middle rounds go a little too much. That was the problem."
 
GL: Do you feel like you learned anything in this fight?
 
RP: "I learned that after this I'm going to be unbeatable. Even though I think I won the fight, just knowing what I know about myself and what I can overcome, this is going to move me to the next level. If I box nobody in the world can touch me, but when it comes to a fight I know how to put my chin down to go at it and come out a champ."
 
GL: What's 2020 going to look like for you?
 
RP: "I'm still waiting on the word from my people. I keep saying that I feel like I won, but I've been getting received like I didn't lose. My stock is really high right now. Everytime I put something online, all the UK fans are asking for me back. My main thing is I want my belts back, I got to have my belts back."
 
GL: What platform do you see yourself fighting on?
 
RP: "I don't know. It's a lot of things up in the air. I can't say, but it's going to be on whichever one offers me the best deal for the most money."
 
GL: Is the rematch with Taylor your top priority?
 
RP: "Of course. I know that they wouldn't want no part of that right now. I feel like I have to get a rematch eventually and I feel like the fans will demand it. I'm a fan of the sport too though, so I wouldn't mind watching him and Ramirez fight and I can get the winner. If they don't fight then I definitely want the rematch. I still want to become undisputed, I still want to fight Ramirez and I definitely want some more of Josh Taylor."
 
GL: Closing thoughts.
 
RP: "I'm in New Orleans right now training and waiting for the phone to ring. The fans can look forward to seeing me be better than they ever have in my next fight, I promise y'all that."

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