On August 2nd in Chicago, former champions will square off in a ten-round junior welterweight battle as Houston’s Regis “Rougarou” Prograis (29-3, 24 KOs) returns to the ring for the first time in 2025 to take on South El Monte, California’s Joseph “JoJo” Diaz (34-7, 15 KOs). Prograis (pictured), a former 140-pound champ, looks to make a statement after a hard-fought 2024, while Diaz, a former 130-pound champ, enters the ring trying to get back into the sport’s elite. The main event for the show will have Oscar “La Migraña” Duarte (29-2-1, 23 KOs) of Mexico, and Chicago’s own Kenneth “Bossman” Sims Jr. (22-2-1, 8 KOs) doing battle at junior welterweight. The DAZN broadcast will also feature a ten-round cruiserweight showdown between Las Vegas’ Tristan “Sweet T” Kalkreuth (15-1, 10 KOs) and Toronto’s Kareem Hackett (12-1, 6 KOs). In heavyweight action, undefeated U.S. Olympian Joshua Edwards (3-0, 3 KOs) will go toe-to-toe with Hinckley, Minnesota’s Cayman Audie (4-1, 2 KOs) in a six-round bout.
Opening the DAZN telecast, Mexico City’s Yair Gallardo (9-0, 8 KOs) will square off against North Carolina’s Quinton Rankin (21-9-2, 16 KOs) in an eight-round clash. Preliminary action will feature Mexico’s Gael Cabrera (8-0, 5 KOs) in an eight-round super bantamweight bout against an opponent to be announced. In heavyweight competition, Chicago’s own Deontae Pettigrew (15-0, 11 KOs) takes on Skylar Lacy (8-1-2, 6 KOs) of Indianapolis in an eight-rounder. Kicking off the night, rising lightweight Mehki Phillips (6-0, 6 KOs) will be featured in a six-round bout against an opponent to be announced.
Prograis is aiming to reset and make another run at the top of his weight division. Following hard-fought decision losses to Devin Haney and Jack Catterall, the former champion is looking to reestablish his presence at 140 pounds. Prograis was originally set to headline earlier this year before a shoulder injury forced him to withdraw. Prograis first tasted championship glory in 2019 with a sixth-round stoppage of Kiryl Relikh to capture the WBA title. Later that year, he went toe-to-toe with Josh Taylor in a thrilling unification bout, narrowly losing by majority decision. He rebounded with a trio of knockout wins, then added the vacant WBC title to his resume in 2022 with an eleventh-round finish of Jose Zepeda. Prograis successfully defended that belt in front of an electric New Orleans crowd before setbacks to Haney and Catterall followed, but with his experience and hunger still intact, “Rougarou” remains a serious threat at 140 pounds.
Diaz is a 2012 Olympian looking to build on his recent unanimous decision win in Tijuana this past June – a performance that marked the start of his comeback after a string of tough outings. Diaz first claimed title status in 2018 by defeating Jesus Rojas to win the WBA regular title. In 2020, he moved up in weight and captured the IBF junior lightweight belt with a disciplined win over Tevin Farmer. Known for his high-volume pressure and fearless style, Diaz has gone toe-to-toe with some of boxing’s biggest names and never shied away from a challenge. Now, with experience, hunger and a fresh win behind him, JoJo is out to prove he’s far from finished.
Duarte vs. Sims Jr. is a twelve-round fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Cancun Boxing. The event will be available worldwide to all subscribers on DAZN, both live and on demand.
