Regis Prograis opens up on Conor Benn and the history lesson that hints at major shock

Regis Prograis has a fair few thoughts on Conor Benn when it comes to money, loyalty, size and skill.

On 11 April, Benn will make his controversial debut as a Zuffa Boxing fighter, taking on Prograis at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It is a fight that makes all the sense in the world for Prograis, but which is frankly baffling when one considers the factors surrounding Benn.

After working with Eddie Hearn for the entirety of his 10-year professional career so far, Benn opted to leave the Matchroom boss to sign with rival Dana White at Zuffa. Hearn had stuck by Benn throughout a two-year saga in which the British welterweight could not box on home soil, having failed two drug tests, but Benn’s head was turned by Zuffa – and an alleged $15m payday for a single fight.

That financial element is at least understandable from a certain perspective, even if you don’t endorse the lack of loyalty. But less understandable are Zuffa’s movements in this saga; even if they have paid less than $15m, they have no doubt parted with a hefty sum to secure Benn for one fight, only to put him in with an unexpected opponent, at a catchweight, on an undercard, and on a rival broadcast platform.

Regis Prograis was an unexpected pick for Conor Benn’s next opponent (Getty Images)

When Benn and longtime super-lightweight Prograis meet on 11 April, they will do so in the bout before Tyson Fury’s fight with Arslanbek Makhmudov, at 150lb, and on Netflix – not Paramount+, Zuffa’s main broadcaster.

You might be struggling to make sense of all this; don’t worry, you’re not the only one. Thankfully, Prograis’s mind seems clear.

The first thing we discuss is the weight, as the former world champion prepares to step on the scale at more than 140lb for the first time in his career. Meanwhile, Benn will come down to a weight that is 3lb over the welterweight limit, having faced Chris Eubank Jr at 160lb twice in 2025 – losing one and winning one.

When Prograis first received a call about the fight, the weight factor admittedly played on his mind, though not for long.

Amid his period of deliberation, Prograis was told, “I think they moved on from you,” the American explains to The Independent. “I said: ‘Man, go and get the fight. I want the fight. I know I can beat Conor Benn.’ I’m not worried about the weight.

“If you look at patterns, when somebody fights heavier and they go back down, they usually have more trouble; I’m going straight up. I’m gonna be comfortable. I definitely should’ve went up way, way earlier. I was killing my body to make 140lb for a while.”

Then we get onto the question of money.

Benn’s alleged $15m payday has not been publicly confirmed, but with Netflix streaming this event and with Saudi backing behind it, has Prograis noticed a significant improvement in his own pay?

“No, not really,” he says. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good payday, but I’m not getting $15m, I’ll tell people that. I just love boxing, I know I can beat Conor Benn, it’s gonna be on a big stage; for me, it’s a no-brainer to make the fight happen. And I look at things as delayed gratification.”

Conor Benn (left) floored Chris Eubank Jr in November, en route to avenging a loss against his rival (Getty Images)

Admittedly, though, Prograis cannot delay much longer – not at 37. Meanwhile, one might say that Benn, at 29, has plenty of years ahead of him to make considerable money, and that he did not need to jump ship to Zuffa now. Still, Prograis defends him over his decision not to re-sign with Hearn.

“I tell every fighter, ‘Make your money,’” he insists repeatedly in a passionate, prolonged answer, “because listen: when Conor is retired, Eddie is still gonna be promoting people, he’s still gonna be making money. If you’re the one literally putting your life on the line, why wouldn’t you make as much money as you can?

“To be honest, every fighter in the world is underpaid, because you’re putting your life on the line for the sport and the fans. Eddie is not putting his life on the line, Eddie never had to put his life on the line. And I’m cool with Eddie, but at the same time, get your money. Your life is priceless, you can’t put a price on your health.

“You can still be loyal to Eddie, you can still be cool with him, you can still go to lunch with him. S***, you can even go spend some of that money on Eddie. I don’t know what kind of vacations y’all go to, y’all are on a different side of the world, but take him to Spain or something.”

Prograis has tested himself against the likes of Devin Haney (pictured), Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall (Getty Images)

Holidays will have to wait, including Prograis’s. For now, his focus is on beating Benn, which close followers of the sport know is a genuine possibility.

“People are looking at the age, the weight, thinking it’s going in his favour,” he says. “I just can’t see Conor Benn beating me at all; [I’m] not even trying to be arrogant or cocky, because sometimes I have overlooked opponents. Skill-wise, I know I’m better than him; I feel like the weight is going against him; maybe they can say something about the age, but…”

Finally, Prograis mentions an elephant that has failed to vacate the room for four years. “He hasn’t had a knockout since 2022, and – I’m not saying he did [take a banned substance], I’m not saying he didn’t, but – people said he was on something in 2022.” Benn has always maintained his innocence, but he did fail two anti-doping tests that year, causing a planned fight with Eubank Jr to be cancelled.

Three years later, he moved on from that saga by finally facing his bitter rival, trading wins with Eubank Jr at Tottenham. Yet, as he returns to the scene of those grudge matches, he is surrounded by a new controversy. Prograis doesn’t seem to mind: “Make your money.”

Tickets to Fury vs Makhmudov are on sale now via Ticketmaster.

Read the full article here