Prograis will be ready for Indongo
The southpaw Indongo replaced Viktor Postol, who was forced to withdraw from the bout on Monday with a hand injury.
Undefeated 140-pound contender Regis 'Rougarou' Prograis remains focused on the prize despite the recent change in opponent for his 9 March showdown for the Interim WBC super lightweight world championship.
Prograis will now face former unified world champion Julius Indongo in the 12-round fight in Deadwood, South Dakota.
“Lou called and told me about what happened to Viktor Postol and that Indongo could be the new opponent and I said yes immediately,” said Prograis.
“I always want to fight the best and with Indongo being a former unified champion, he brings a great deal of credibility to the fight. Both of his titles were won on the road in Russia and Scotland, so I know how fearless and determined he will be.
“I had to switch up my training a little for sparring with Indongo being a lefty and a little taller, but I'm sparring with middleweights. I've heard how hard he hits and I want to be fully prepared. Maybe down the line Postol and I could still fight, but I'm only focused on Indongo now. This is my time and my year to shine. I'm ready to put on a spectacular performance on March 9,” the boxer said.
“This fight came together in a matter of two phone calls – one to Prograis and one to Indongo – and that speaks volumes about the championship mentality of both fighters,” said Lou DiBella, president of DiBella Entertainment.
“Prograis wanted to fight the best fighter available, even if that fighter presented a different style and was recently a unified champion. Indongo immediately jumped at the opportunity to again be a champion.
“They are true professionals and their desire to fight will be evident in the ring.”
Fighting out of Namibia and now training in Omaha, Nebraska, Indongo (22-1, 11 KOs) is a former unified champion who held the IBF and WBA 140-pound titles.
In 2016, Indongo travelled to Moscow, Russia, to dethrone IBF junior welterweight champion Eduard Troyanovsky with a stunning first-round knockout. In his first defence, Indongo travelled to Glasgow, Scotland, for a unification bout with WBA champion Ricky Burns. The 35-year-old won a 12-round unanimous decision to become unified champion.
In his first bout as a unified titleholder, Indongo made his US debut against fellow undefeated and unified champion Terence Crawford in a showdown to determine the undisputed champion of the 140-pound division.
It was the first championship bout with all four major world titles at stake since Jermain Taylor dethroned Bernard Hopkins in 2005. Indongo lost to Crawford to suffer the only defeat of his professional career.
Prograis (20-0, 17 KOs), of Houston by way of New Orleans, has scored knockouts in 13 of his last 14 fights and is a rising star in the wide-open 140-pound division. Indongo represents the toughest challenge of his career.
In the 12-round co-feature, undefeated 140-pound contenders Ivan Baranchyk (17-0, 10 KOs) and Anthony Yigit (21-0-1, 7 KOs) will square off in a junior welterweight world title eliminator to become the mandatory challenger for IBF champion Sergey Lipinets. Lipinets will defend his belt the following day, 10 March.
BOXING NEWS
Prograis will now face former unified world champion Julius Indongo in the 12-round fight in Deadwood, South Dakota.
“Lou called and told me about what happened to Viktor Postol and that Indongo could be the new opponent and I said yes immediately,” said Prograis.
“I always want to fight the best and with Indongo being a former unified champion, he brings a great deal of credibility to the fight. Both of his titles were won on the road in Russia and Scotland, so I know how fearless and determined he will be.
“I had to switch up my training a little for sparring with Indongo being a lefty and a little taller, but I'm sparring with middleweights. I've heard how hard he hits and I want to be fully prepared. Maybe down the line Postol and I could still fight, but I'm only focused on Indongo now. This is my time and my year to shine. I'm ready to put on a spectacular performance on March 9,” the boxer said.
“This fight came together in a matter of two phone calls – one to Prograis and one to Indongo – and that speaks volumes about the championship mentality of both fighters,” said Lou DiBella, president of DiBella Entertainment.
“Prograis wanted to fight the best fighter available, even if that fighter presented a different style and was recently a unified champion. Indongo immediately jumped at the opportunity to again be a champion.
“They are true professionals and their desire to fight will be evident in the ring.”
Fighting out of Namibia and now training in Omaha, Nebraska, Indongo (22-1, 11 KOs) is a former unified champion who held the IBF and WBA 140-pound titles.
In 2016, Indongo travelled to Moscow, Russia, to dethrone IBF junior welterweight champion Eduard Troyanovsky with a stunning first-round knockout. In his first defence, Indongo travelled to Glasgow, Scotland, for a unification bout with WBA champion Ricky Burns. The 35-year-old won a 12-round unanimous decision to become unified champion.
In his first bout as a unified titleholder, Indongo made his US debut against fellow undefeated and unified champion Terence Crawford in a showdown to determine the undisputed champion of the 140-pound division.
It was the first championship bout with all four major world titles at stake since Jermain Taylor dethroned Bernard Hopkins in 2005. Indongo lost to Crawford to suffer the only defeat of his professional career.
Prograis (20-0, 17 KOs), of Houston by way of New Orleans, has scored knockouts in 13 of his last 14 fights and is a rising star in the wide-open 140-pound division. Indongo represents the toughest challenge of his career.
In the 12-round co-feature, undefeated 140-pound contenders Ivan Baranchyk (17-0, 10 KOs) and Anthony Yigit (21-0-1, 7 KOs) will square off in a junior welterweight world title eliminator to become the mandatory challenger for IBF champion Sergey Lipinets. Lipinets will defend his belt the following day, 10 March.
BOXING NEWS
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article