Regis Prograis Accuses Jose Ramirez of Continuing to Duck Him
The back-and-forth feud continues between Jose Ramirez (28-1, 18 KOs) and the reigning WBC junior welterweight champion, Regis “Rougarou” Prograis (28-1, 24 KOs), as to why they’ve yet to fight one another. It’s becoming a situation of accusations and finger-pointing with no resolution in sight.
Speaking to the boxing media about Prograis, Ramirez said the fight hasn’t happened because of money and things beyond his control, from a promotional standpoint. The former unified junior welterweight champion then accused Prograis of not being business-smart.
“He’s an idiot because now, he will be stuck fighting for nothing. People don’t know that, but at the end of the day, I can’t walk out. I’m still with Top Rank. There’s only so much that I can do. Hopefully, maybe that fight could still happen in the near future.”
Having heard what Ramirez had to say, Rougarou posted the following response on social media:
AT AN IMPASSE
Ramirez is with Top Rank, while Prograis is with Probellum. The two promotional companies are currently at odds. Top Ranks claims that it refuses to do business with Probellum. However, there are more layers to the situation.
In July 2022, the WBC ordered them to fight for the then-vacant WBC 140-pound strap. But Ramirez said no because the timing of that proposed fight ran up against his wedding. There was a second attempt to make a fight, but offended by the WBC’s ruling that he would only get thirty-five percent of the purse split, Ramirez again walked away from negotiations. This seems to be the issue for Ramirez. He believes he deserves a certain amount based on previous purses he received in recent outings. Now, he’s unwilling to accept anything lower than what he feels is his market value.
But here’s the thing. Ramirez is no longer a world champion. In truth, he doesn’t have a high enough profile and the star power to make the demands he’s asking for behind the scenes. It all comes across as a fighter who acts like he has a wrong-headed sense of entitlement.
Prograis feels that Ramirez’s stand is senseless. There is also a contingent of fans who agree with Rougarou and feel that Ramirez is avoiding a fight against the current WBC champion. Observers do not care about what Ramirez is seeking monetarily. They would love to see a fight between him and Prograis. But if things continue at this rate and Ramirez doesn’t get off his high horse, it’s a fight that will never happen.
