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Mikey Garcia is hoping a potential junior welterweight bout against Regis Prograis will not only satisfy his bank account, but the approval of the public.
The 33-year-old Garcia, a former four-division titleholder, is reportedly in talks to face Prograis, one of the top contenders in the 140-pound division, in a fight that would be promoted by Eddie Hearn and streamed on DAZN. Although there is no title at stake, a Garcia-Prograis match-up would represent one of the best non-title fights on the current boxing schedule.
That is one reason why Garcia, who is regarded as one of the more business-oriented fighters in the sport, is motivated to get a deal done.
“There’s nothing worse than having a fight and having the fans talk sh!t about it and having the fans dislike the opponent, and having the fans not approve of the opponent,” Garcia told FightHype.com. “That’s not cool. But this fight has all the fans excited. If the fans want to see that it makes us want to secure that fight even more.”
It helps that both fighters are seeking big wins at this point in their respective careers. Garcia (40-1, 30 KOs), who was a dominant force south of 140 pounds for most of his career, is still looking to pick up a banner win ever since he came up short against Errol Spence Jr. in a welterweight title bout in 2019. The same goes for 32-year-old Prograis (26-1, 22 KOs), who was a 140-pound titleholder until he lost it to current unified 140-pound champion Josh Taylor in 2019.
“It’s a good fight,” Garcia said of the Prograis matchup. “He’s a former champion He lost his title in a tough close decision against Taylor, who is now the champion. Regis always comes to fight. He has a very aggressive style and has action-packed fights. It’s a great matchup for the fans to enjoy. He knows that a victory can launch him into another title fight, maybe a rematch with Taylor possibly or maybe go up to 147. A fight against me is big for him and a big fight for me.”
Both fighters have expressed their desire for the fight to take place in Texas. Garcia has fought in The Lone Star State three out of his four fights, including his last one, a decision over Jessie Vargas at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco.
Prograis, who was born in New Orleans, has been a longtime resident of Houston. He was last seen stopping Ivan Redkach in April on the Jake Paul-Ben Askren Triller card in Atlanta.
“I don’t get excited for easy fights just to get back. I’d rather fight a good fight, a fight that means more than just the purse,” said Garcia. “A fight that means more for my career, my record, my legacy, than just someone handing me my purse. This is why this fight is interesting. It’s exciting.”