by It is the loss to Haney last December that has had a particularly negative impact on the American’s prospects.
Prograis was knocked down in the third round before losing on points. He was far from his flamboyant best in a sluggish performance and was dominated by Haney.
Prograis told BBC Sport that the changes behind the scenes before the Haney fight had hampered him, and said he had spent the preparations for the Catterall fight “trying to become myself again and get back to what made me tick.” brought it to the top.”
“I changed everything for the Haney camp,” he said.
Prograis explained he swapped his team for Haney, including having his head coach and an assistant swap roles. For Catterall, he changed everything, although he admitted: “I don’t know why I did it.”
He also shortened his camp after training for three months before fighting Haney – something that impacted his mental health.
When Catterall’s injury caused an August fight to be postponed until October, Prograis took “a little vacation” at his camp in Las Vegas.
“I really needed that mentally, it made a big difference because I couldn’t train all the time. In camp I train three or four times a day, that’s a lot,” said Prograis.
“So I went off, relaxed and came back much stronger.”
Another big change for Prograis in 2024 is that he is hiring a manager after previously representing himself in negotiations.
He says this was another mistake and that being able to hand over his business affairs would allow him to relax before a fight he must win if he wants to remain a contender at the elite level.
“I’ve made enough money, I’m fine for the rest of my life, so now I’m boxing to have fun,” Prograis said.
“I used to try to be a businessman and a boxer, doing everything myself and telling people in interviews that I don’t need a manager – I definitely do!”
Prograis, a proud New Orleans native, told the BBC in 2019 that he was fighting for the city and was still recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Five years later, Prograis says he only fights for himself.
“I always have my people, but I’ve done this before,” he said. “This is for me because I love it.”
