Regis Prograis Explains Why 150 Pounds ‘Is Cool’ for Conor Benn Fight

Former 140-pound champion takes fight above division without weight restriction

Regis Prograis has agreed to face Conor Benn at a 150-pound catchweight on April 11 without a rehydration clause. The former 140-pound champion accepted the terms without negotiation.

The former two-time junior welterweight champion will travel to London for the Zuffa Boxing event at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Benn has recently competed as high as 160 pounds, while Prograis built his championship record at 140. The contracted weight places the contest above Prograis’ title division, and within a range Benn has previously operated around.

“Really, it’s the perfect time, the perfect call, the perfect opportunity for me,” Prograis told Ring Magazine. “They said the name, I said, ‘bro, make it happen.’ Conor Benn’s a little big, so I think we’re doing it at 150. But I was like, ‘Man, just make the fight.’ We got the deal done in like a day.”

Although Benn previously used a rehydration clause in his fight with Chris Eubank Jr., Prograis confirmed that no such restriction was requested for this bout. The emphasis, he indicated, was on securing the opportunity rather than adjusting the contractual framework.

At 150 pounds, Prograis will not be draining the final pounds required at junior welterweight, but he will be conceding size to a fighter who has recently operated at middleweight.

Benn’s style relies on forward pressure and power shots. At the higher contracted weight, durability and inside exchanges could become a factor.”

“I didn’t push back about the weight, and I didn’t push back about the clause,” Prograis said. “Because we could’ve did that, too. I didn’t do none of that stuff.”

At 37, Prograis said this is his second consecutive training camp in Las Vegas and that he has adjusted his preparation after acknowledging he overtrained in a prior outing. He believes the camp has been more measured and that the higher contracted weight will not present a significant issue.

“I’m a little older now, but I feel like I been getting better,” Prograis said. “One mistake I made was overtraining. I did way too much. Now I think I’m going to get it perfectly right. And now I don’t have to make the weight like I used to, so now it’s at 150, it’s cool.”

The April 11 fight will be Prograis’ third professional appearance in the United Kingdom.