WBC junior welterweight titleholder Regis Prograis has agreed to a three-fight deal with Matchroom Boxing.

The announcement came during the DAZN PPV telecast of the Canelo Alvarez-John Ryder super middleweight championship that took place in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Prograis, The Ring’s No. 1-rated junior welterweight, will fight for the first time under the Matchroom banner (and make the first defense of his WBC title) on June 17 against Liam Paro at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana and will stream live on DAZN.

It’s going down
June 17th
Smoothie King Center
New Orleans, LA
Live on @DAZNBoxing pic.twitter.com/neAgPVEDiJ

— Rougarou (@RPrograis) May 7, 2023

“I am so excited to welcome Regis to the Matchroom team,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “The 140-pound division is fast becoming the most exciting in the sport, littered with big names and glamour fights, so to have the WBC king in the team is a massive coup for us.

“Regis’ fights always promise action, and along with his charisma and personality, there’s a perfect blend that makes him one of the most marketable and fan-friendly fighters – and one that has told me he only wants the biggest fights in the division – unifications and undisputed.

“Finally, I cannot wait to promote our first event in New Orleans. It’s another city to add to the growing list of places we’ve put on events in the States, and with our (recently-announced) new three-year deal with DAZN, you can expect more great locations and more big-name signings to build in those cities.”

It will be a homecoming for Prograis, who was born and raised in New Orleans. He left the city due to Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, migrating to Houston, Texas, where he currently resides.

Prograis (28-1, 24 knockouts) won the WBC title in his last bout, stopping Jose Zepeda in the 11th round of an action fight. He has won his last four bouts, all by knockout, since losing a close majority decision win to current Ring Magazine champion Josh Taylor in October 2019 in a unification title fight.

The 34-year-old is a two-time world titleholder, winning the WBA world junior welterweight title in April 2019 by stopping Kiryl Relikh.

Prograis, who had recently declared he was a free agent after recently fighting under the Probellum banner, reportedly had an offer from Top Rank. He decided on Matchroom and is eager to move forward and defend his belt against Paro.

“Now it’s official – I am with Matchroom,” said Prograis, who is managed by Sam Katkovski and trained by Bobby Benton. “Over the last few weeks, I’ve been contemplating which move I should make next. I had a lot of good offers on the table. But I feel like Matchroom is the best for me. I just feel like it’s the right fit. From the beginning, I had that gut feeling and it never left. I can’t wait to start this chapter in my career. I’ll be fighting Liam Paro in New Orleans on June 17. This is a dream come true.”

Paro (23-0, 14 KOs) knocked out Brock Jarvis in the opening round of his last bout on October 15 in a clash of unbeaten junior welterweights who reside in Australia. In his previous fight in December 2021, Paro won by split decision over Yomar Alamo, who also entered the bout unbeaten.

The 27-year-old was recently mandated by the WBO into negotiations with Arnold Barboza and former unified world titleholder Jose Ramirez, both which went nowhere. Paro is eager to make the most of this opportunity against Prograis, who will be a significant step-up in opposition for Paro.

“I have been dreaming about fights like this my whole life,” said Paro, who is managed by Angelo Di Carlo. “What better way to make a mark on the 140-pound division than taking our the top guy. This is what it’s all about. I’m coming.”

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at [email protected]

Follow @FSalazarBoxing