Regis Prograis made one request for Conor Benn fight but was denied: “They said no” | Boxing News
Regis Prograis attempted to negotiate a different weight, and even considered demanding a rehydration clause, but has ultimately agreed to face Conor Benn at 150lbs.
It was announced earlier this week that the pair will square off on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov, with Benn returning to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, on April 11.
His last outing at the venue saw him claim a unanimous decision victory over Chris Eubank Jr in November, after losing their first encounter by the same verdict in April.
For both middleweight contests, Benn had benefitted from 10lb rehydration clause on Eubank to keep below 170lbs on the morning of each fight.
But this, it seems, was never an option for two-time world champion Prograis, who claims he attempted to lower the agreed weight for his clash with Benn.
With the American being a career super-lightweight, he had initially hoped to face the Ilford man at 147lbs, but swiftly discovered that this was not going to wash with his opponent’s team.
Speaking with Ring Magazine, the 37-year-old revealed his original plan while, at the same time, insisting that he is unbothered by Benn’s natural size advantage.
“I was a champion, twice, at 140[lbs]. So, for me, this is a big jump, but I feel like I’ll be comfortable.
“I’m not really worried about Conor Benn, and how big he is. I agreed to it [150lbs]. At first, we tried to get the weight down a little bit. They [said] no.
“Cool, no push back – you get everything. I didn’t push back about the weight; I didn’t push back about the weigh-in clause.
“We could’ve [done] that, too. I know he did the same thing with Eubank – he made him do a rehydration clause. I’m not doing none of that stuff.”
This will be Benn’s first outing since signing a one-fight deal with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing, who have reportedly secured him an eight-figure purse for fighting Prograis.
After defeating Eubank, the 29-year-old claimed he would go straight back down to 147lbs, but now seems to be taking a more steady approach to dropping the weight.