Jack Catterall earned his third headline win in a year and put himself in position for a title fight in 2025 with victory over Regis Prograis in their light-welterweight bout in Manchester.
A bruising, see-saw encounter at Co-op Live saw Catterall knocked down in round five following a flurry of blows from Prograis ending with a heavy right jab to the jaw.
Both men then hit the canvas in the eighth round, grappling before tumbling and almost falling through the ropes in a bout that was occasionally chaotic but always watchable.
Catterall brought his best in round nine, twice sending Prograis to the floor with solid right strikes. The American received a count to eight on both occasions before resuming.
Following a nervous start, Catterall grew into the fight and gained control in the latter stages as Prograis desperately sought a knockout, twice sweeping himself off his own feet with attempted haymakers.
Ultimately the judges all went for Catterall – one 117-108, the other two 116-109, 116-109 – as the 31-year-old Chorley-born fighter followed victories over Jorge Linares and Josh Taylor in the past year with another notable win.
On the undercard, Campbell Hatton was unable to avenge his defeat by Jimmy Joe Flint. The son of former world champion Ricky Hatton was beaten by unanimous verdict in front of his home Manchester crowd.
Catterall shows title credentials with another big win
The two fighters brought differing approaches to this bout. Prograis, perhaps with the knowledge that his big fight days are numbered, provided most of the headlines in the build-up – from claiming Catterall was “nothing special” to broadcasting voice notes from the Briton’s manager at a news conference.
While the New Orleans man was the one bringing the needle, Catterall – never a natural showman – cut an altogether more focused figure.
That continued into the ringwalks, where Prograis entered to Central Cee’s Band4Band which includes the lyrics “it’s got to the point that I don’t even care, I got jewels in the safe that I don’t even wear”.
And it could be seen in the opening couple of rounds, where Catterall looked nervous and unable to assert himself in the early stages.
But after a serious talking-to from his corner, Catterall aimed to take the front foot and it paid off as he rocked Prograis with a hammering left.
The only serious worry for Catterall came in the fifth round, but after the fight he insisted it was a slip rather than a knockdown and he showed no ill-effects for the remainder of the bout. Then in round nine, he showed his class.
Prograis, clearly with nothing to lose, almost turned into a cartoon character such were his wheeling arms and attempts to land killer blows, much to the delight of the partisan crowd.
Catterall kept his cool, his distance, and earned the win. While Prograis has two world titles from a stellar career, Catterall – although only four years younger than the American – has yet to truly catapult himself into conversations about elite fighters despite undoubted talent.
That could now all change after a terrific 12 months, and another assured victory.
Hatton beaten again in Flint rematch
The undercard to Catterall v Prograis was disrupted when the main support fight between Reece Bellotti and Michael Gomez Jr was called off at short notice due to Gomez falling ill in the changing rooms.
Any spectators feeling short-changed would have been salved by Hatton v Flint, a high-energy and bruising encounter.
Hatton was looking to avenge his first defeat in 15 professional fights at the hands of Flint last March.
Both men suffered facial cuts in a close fight where Hatton aimed for the bigger hits while Flint sat behind his jab until round seven, when after urging from his corner the Doncaster fighter stepped up his punching power.
After swallowing a couple of huge shots in the eighth, Flint came through strongest in the final rounds as Hatton tired and loosened his defences.
Ultimately, Flint won unanimously – 97-94, 96-94, 96-95 – to ensure this rematch ended the same way as the original.
