Josh Taylor says Regis Prograis ‘long finished’ ahead of Conor Benn fight

Former undisputed champion believes Benn chose Prograis for financial reasons

Josh Taylor believes Regis Prograis is no longer the fighter he once was. The former undisputed champion questioned why Conor Benn chose him as an opponent.

Taylor, who defeated Prograis in their 2019 unification fight, gave a blunt view of the former WBC 140-lb champion when asked about Benn facing him in a high-profile bout.

“Regis Prograis is long finished in my opinion,” Taylor said to Boxing News. “He’s not the fighter he once was and hasn’t been for a while.”

The 37-year-old former two-time 140-lb champion Prograis has suffered several defeats in recent years and has not looked like the same fighter who pushed Taylor to a close decision in their fight seven years ago. Taylor said the change in Prograis’ form makes Benn’s choice of opponent a puzzling one.

“I don’t want to sound disrespectful, but I just say it how I think it is,” Taylor said. “He’s not the fighter he once was.”

The Scottish fighter suggested the motivation behind the fight is simple. Reports have circulated that Benn could earn a massive payday for the bout, and Taylor believes the financial offer explains the matchup.

“It’s a very strange move other than financial gain,” Taylor said. “If I was offered that kind of money, I’d take it as well. So you can’t blame Conor for that.”

Taylor acknowledged that Prograis still has the experience to cause some early difficulties, even if he no longer views him as the same threat he once was in the junior welterweight division.

“He’s still a good fighter, and he could make it awkward at the start,” Taylor said. “But I can’t really see anything other than a Conor Benn win.”

The two previously met at super lightweight in 2019, when Taylor edged Prograis by decision in a competitive unification fight that crowned the Scot as a champion.

From Taylor’s perspective, however, that version of Prograis no longer exists. Benn’s upcoming fight on April 11, he suggested, reflects the realities of modern prizefighting more than a meeting between two fighters at their peak.

“Hey, it’s prize fighting,” Taylor said. “If the money’s there, fighters are going to take it.”

Taylor’s view may sound harsh, but it reflects how some fighters see Regis’ recent run in the ring. Whether that judgment proves correct will be tested once Benn and Prograis step into the ring.