Jack Catterall once again came up aces in an oft-postponed high-profile fight.

A pivotal battle between Ring-rated top ten junior welterweight contenders saw Catterall prevail over former two-time 140-pound titlist Regis Prograis. Both fighters hit the deck but Catterall was able to pile up rounds in the second half to earn a unanimous decision victory.

Both fighters made weight for their oft-postponed junior welterweight clash. Catterall weighed 140 pounds, while Prograis was 139.7 pounds. Their scheduled 12-round bout airs live on DAZN this Saturday from Co-op Live in Manchester.

The show marked the first ever boxing event to take place at the brand new, state-of-the-art venue.

Neither fighter offered more than their jab in the early rounds between dueling southpaws. Chorley’s Catterall would often double up on the stick, while Prograis sought to set up opportunities for his right hook. The visiting boxer from Katy, Texas attempted just that inside the final 30 seconds of the frame. Catterall slipped it but fell short with his counter.

Catterall finally broke the ice late in round three. A straight left hand caught the attention of Prograis and created separation between the two in an otherwise razor-thin fight.

Prograis secured his get-back with a left hand of his own in the fourth. An even bigger moment came one round later. A right jab by Prograis was enough to produce the bout’s first knockdown. It caught Catterall on the shoulder but the force—and perhaps with the aid of a slippery ring logo—produced the fall.

Both fighters were on the canvas in round eight, though none from any landed punches.

Prograis was pushed down and immediately waved his arms to insist a knockdown didn’t occur. Referee John Latham was on top of the action and correctly ruled a slip. Prograis landed a left later in the round. Catterall took the shot and initiated a clinch. His forward momentum caused both to tumble down and underneath the bottom rope.

Catterall enjoyed a massive ninth round, the biggest for either fighter on the night. Prograis was twice floored inside the final minute, both courtesy of straight left hands. Catterall landed a classic one-two, with the left causing Prograis to go down and fall flat on his back. He beat the count but was down again from a single left just before the bell.

Prograis applied short-term memory to the setback and sought to force the action in round ten and eleven.

Catterall was game for the cause but also caught by a Prograis right hook in the tenth. Prograis landed a left hand which briefly jarred Catterall in the eleventh but failed to follow up on the sequence.

The twelfth and final round saw Prograis go straight to the jab and Catterall apply lateral movement. Prograis missed wildly with an overhand left and fell to the canvas. His movement was limited by an injury to his right leg, but still continued to come forward.

Catterall connected with a one-two and then slid back to avoid a counter. Prograis backed into a corner in an attempt to set a trap in the final 30 seconds. Catterall inched forward with caution before action moved back to center ring. Both fighters attempted one more shot at glory before the bell, at which point they embraced.

Prograis was tended to in his corner, while Catterall saluted the crowd with arms raised as he believed he earned the decision.

The two were due to meet on Aug. 24 at this location. An injury suffered by Catterall (29-1, 13 knockouts) to push out the event by two months.

It was an ironic twist for Catterall, who spent more than two years waiting on a rematch with former RING/undisputed champion Josh Taylor. Their snakebitten sequel suffered multiple delays before they finally met on May 25.

Catterall won a unanimous decision, 27 months after he suffered a controversial split decision defeat in their Feb. 2022 championship contest. He sought to make up for lost time and immediately moved forward with his career. The Ring’s No. 4-rated junior welterweight agreed to terms with minimal interruption to face Prograis (29-2, 24 KOs) this summer.

The only interruption was moving forward with the event.

Prograis has twice held titles at 140. He won the WBA belt in an April 2019 knockout win over Kyril Relikh in Lafayette, Louisiana.

The feat took place two hours from Prograis’ childhood hometown of New Orleans but his reign ended on the other side of the Atlantic. Prograis dropped a competitive majority decision to Taylor in their Oct. 2019 World Boxing Super Series finale in London.

Five wins followed, including a Nov. 2022 11th round knockout of Jose Zepeda to win the WBC 140-pound belt. Prograis made one defense, a decision win over Danielito Zorrilla last June 17 in New Orleans. The reign ended in a twelve-round shutout defeat to Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs; 1 NC) last Dec. 9 in San Francisco, California.

Catterall has fought just three times since the disputed defeat to Taylor. Four separate delays left him out of the ring for 13 months before a decision victory over Darragh Foley last May. Catterall then outpointed former three-division titlist Jorge Linares last October before his victory over Taylor in May.

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