Boxing can be a brutal business both inside and outside of the ring, so Regis Prograis took things into his own hands and decided to take care of all of it himself.since he was a teenager when Hurricane Katrina hit his hometown of New Orleans in 2005, knocked out Jose Zepeda to win the World Boxing Coucil's junior welterweight title in November, he was a free agent.
World champions don't hit free agency while still holding belts very often in boxing, so the 34-year-old set out to make the most of his rare opportunity by representing himself in negotiations instead of working with a manager or agent. "I just wanted to be more involved with my own career," said Prograis as he prepares to defend his title against Danielito Zorrilla on Saturday night at New Orleans' Smoothie King Center."If I make a mistake, I want to be able to say, 'OK, I made that mistake.' Usually managers, they make mistakes, too. This is my career. I’m the one who has to go out there and fight, so I'd rather just do everything myself and really learn the business.
Getting familiar with the business side should help Prograis as he fights for the first time under the Matchroom Boxing umbrella on a fight card run by his own Rougarou Promotions, which he started when he signed with Matchroom this year. Having his own promotion company allowed him to ensure certain fighters he's close to — like