Regis Prograis Tells Teofimo Lopez To Come Clean and Correct
It is beginning to turn into a drama series with WBC junior welterweight champion Regis “Rougarou” Prograis (28-1, 24KO) and former unified lightweight champion “The Takeover” Teofimo Lopez Jr (18-1, 13KO). Lopez’s recent tweet indicated they can’t fight because Prograis’ promotional company, Probellum, has alleged ties to accused organized crime boss Daniel Kinahan. In early 2022, the United States government placed a $5 million bounty on Kinahan and placed all companies associated with him under sanctions.
THE BACKSTORY
Kinahan was the founder of the MTK Global management company but severed ties with them in 2017. In 2022, MTK Global shut down operations due to the sanctions. It is also worth mentioning that certain fighters are prohibited from traveling behind this situation, one of them being the WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. However, Prograis is an American Citizen from birth and lives in Texas.
Probellum has made it clear that Kinahan is not a shareholder or owner. They even cut ties with any individual or company under U.S. sanctions.
It is worth mentioning that Top Rank, which promotes the former unified champion, was also under scrutiny for its connection to Kinahan through a co-promotional deal with Fury.
PROGRAIS HIT BACK AT LOPEZ WITH A SIMPLE TRUTH
Probellum has continued to operate by promoting fights uninterrupted. The New Orleans native signed with Probellum back in October 2021.
Some inside the boxing community are already calling this a duck on the part of Lopez. One main reason being Prograis won the WBC title in a fight against Jose Zepeda on U.S. soil, a fact that he pointed out.
By: Bo Bland
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