WBC champ Regis Prograis holds his own in the ring by studying the greats

WBC champ Regis Prograis holds his own in the ring by studying the greats

A decorated amateur boxer who trained under Evander Holyfield, Regis Prograis seemed destined to win professional gold sooner rather than later, and he turned those predictions into reality by winning the WBA super lightweight championship in 2019.

But after losing the title in his first defense following a heartbreaking points defeat to Josh Taylor, the man from New Orleans, LA vowed to reclaim his place at the top. In November 2022, Prograis made good on that promise by knocking out Jose Zepeda and capturing the vacant WBC super lightweight title. This Saturday (June 17th) Prograis will defend his title for the first time in his hometown.

M&FWe sat down with the southpaw, 34, to find out what he's learned from some of the greats and why he gives it his all when it comes to preparing for a fight.

Anyone who has followed Prograis' entertaining training vlogs on YouTube knows that the champion likes to start every day with a run. “Cardio on an empty stomach, bro, always,” the fighter says of his routine. "I never train on a full stomach. I always fast." Prograis says some boxers like to eat a big breakfast before training, but that's not for him. In fact, it's often only around 2 p.m. before this athlete finally sits down for his first meal. "I've been doing this for years. It just works for me," he shares.

As a super lightweight, Prograis says he's comfortable in the weight class, but after hiring a nutritionist just over a year ago, he's never felt better about making the weight before a fight than he does now. To hit his macros, the champion supplements protein shakes (with water, not milk) and adds a touch of honey for sweetness. “Boxing is old-fashioned and a lot of trainers don’t know anything about nutrition,” says Prograis. “And once you get to a higher level, you just understand that nutrition is everything.” The fighter says that in the past he has resorted to going to the sauna before weigh-ins or simply not eating, but now he is following his nutritionist's advice and only eating what has been approved.

Regis Prograis trains to become an immovable object

While Prograis must stay under 140 pounds to fit into his weight class, this boxer becomes an immovable object when it comes to dominating from the center of the ring. To achieve this, the fighter devotes much of his time to leg training. “I do a lot of things,” says the man also known as “Rougarou” (Louisiana French for “werewolf,” in homage to his grandfather of Native American descent). "So I run long distances, I run sprints and I also run stairs. And then we also do swimming and do a lot of leg exercises." When it comes to going to the swimming pool, Prograis provides variety with varied sessions. Sometimes he does sprint work, and other days the boxer swims long distances. He also trains his lung capacity by swimming underwater.

Regis Prograis learns from the legends who came before him

If you see the WBC super lightweight champion during one of his runs, you might notice that he likes to wear army boots. He's been doing this almost since the beginning of his career. "In the military they train, they walk for miles in combat boots. I kind of do the same thing," he explains the motivation behind this training method. "All the great fighters of the past have done it, so that's really the only reason I do it... like Ray Robinson, Harry Armstrong, Joe Louis and George Foreman, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, I mean them." The list goes on and on, you know, everyone walks in boots and I don’t know when we stopped doing that… but it’s something I still do.”

The champion has also learned that recovery is a key aspect of getting into top shape between fights, pointing out that he was always sore early in his professional career. Thirty minutes before our interview, Prograis says he's been in his cold plunge tub and feels like it's giving him so much recovery that he's feeling great. “Of course you have to get enough sleep,” emphasizes the champion. “You get massages, you know, all those things.” Always hungry for knowledge, Prograis says he picked up the tip of taking regular naps from “The Fighters Mind” by Sam Sheridan. “Recovery is super important because if you feel bad you can’t exercise,” he explains.

From sparring to swimming, running to weightlifting, Prograis trains at least three times a day. In the gym, the fighter trains his explosive strength and does a lot of squats. “We do a lot of ball slams,” he adds, sharing that he also does a lot of steps and punches while also wearing a resistance band. It's a relentless pursuit of the goal of proving he's the best in the world, and on June 17 he'll be able to put an end to his 2019 title defeat by defending the WBC gold in an arena he's passed thousands of times. The Smoothie King Center. There he (28-1-0) faces Danielito Zorrilla (17-1-0) in front of a hometown crowd and tells M&F that after the previous defeat he has committed to training harder and smarter to reclaim his position. “I’m a headliner and I’m from there,” says Prograis proudly. “Man, this is huge.” Of course, at the moment the champion says he's too focused on the fight to let it all sink in, but he definitely has his sights set on victory. “After the fight I will realize what I have achieved.”

Regis “Rougarou” Prograis defends the WBC super lightweight title against Danielito Zorrilla live on DAZN, June 17.