Regis Prograis Turning Back The Clock Against Conor Benn | Mr. Verzace Podcast | Ep. 16

Regis Prograis joins the latest episode of Mr. Verzace Podcast to discuss his upcoming fight against Conor Benn on April 11 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. LIVE only on Netflix. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:18

Welcome back to the Mr. Versace podcast. I'm your host, Mr. Versace himself, Rick Reno, and joining me today is the former unified world champion, Regis Progray. He is back in action April the 11th, major fight with British superstar Connor Ben, live and exclusive on Netflix as part of the Fury versus Makmadoff undercard at Tottenham Stadium in London. Regis, what went through your head? I'm sure this fight wasn't on your bingo card when you got a call that's saying you're being offered a fight with Connor Ben.

SPEAKER_01 0:58

Um, I was definitely surprised at first, um, just because, you know, I fought at 140 my whole career, you know, um, and for them, uh my my plan was, my my goal was to go to 147, but I wanted to do, I wanted to go to 145 and then maybe go to 147. So when they offered the fight, of course, my first, the first question was like, all right, so what's the weight? And they said 150. So I was like, uh, you know, but then all right, what about the re rehydration clause? So they said, no on that, no on both of them. So I was like, uh, let's let it sit for a while, maybe, I don't know. Um, and then my manager, I think the next day, I talked to my manager about it, and he said, I think they they they're trying to pass you up. I said, Look, I know I could be kind of bent, just get the fight. Don't worry about the weight, don't worry about the rehydration clause, don't worry about, of course, we got a few more dollars because of um with the weight dealing with all that stuff, but I I won the fight. So I did tell him, make the fight, just make the fight happen. Don't worry about the if we if we can't get the weight down, don't worry about it, you know. Let's make the fight happen.

SPEAKER_00 1:56

And that seemed to be your plan because your last fight with Jojo Diaz, I think it was like 142 and change. Yeah. So that seemed to be like your plan. I'm gonna inch a little, inch my way up there a little bit, bit by bit, till I get to 47. Right. And after that fight with Jojo Diaz, which was an absolute war, people assumed, well, he these are gonna go for big name at 140, big name at 47. So I think when the Connor Ben fight came around, it was like out of left field. Yeah, it just it just came out the blue.

SPEAKER_01 2:23

I mean, I don't even for me, I understand that they wanted me. You know, they called, they, they, I was one of my friends hit me up and they told me that I was um, I was being, my name was one of the hot, the hot um names for the the Connor Ben fight. So I was like, let's do it. I want him. He wants me. We are, I guess we are matchmade in heaven right now. So it's like, all right, let's. I never thought that it was gonna happen because, you know, because I know he fought at 160 his last two fights, and I fought at 140. So that's a you know, that is a big jump. But I I just believe myself, I know I can win. So I'm like, man, get the the main thing was like, man, get this fight. Please, uh, I told my manager, please secure this fight.

SPEAKER_00 2:59

How do you feel physically now in camp where you don't have to cut down as much weight? You're probably having a couple of bigger meals than you used to.

SPEAKER_01 3:07

Yes, way. I mean, I can I'm I'm way more comfortable. That's the thing. You know, I've been the thing is, so I already plan to go to 147. You know, so in between the whole, and I'm always in the gym. I stay in the gym year round. So I I was lifting for a while before I even, before I even got this car, I was already lifting. I was already in a gym. So it just happened. For me, it just happened it just like a it just happened perfectly for me. But I feel physically, like I feel really good because I can, I'm just more comfortable. I don't have to, I don't have to think about my food and sucking down, sucking back down to 140. You know, that was for me, I always thought about like maybe I don't I don't need to bulk up so much because I might have to get back. It's gonna be hard to get back down to 140. So now I know I'll I probably would never go back down to 140. So now I can eat comfortably.

SPEAKER_00 3:54

And you could look at it as a devil's advocate from the other end. He won in his last two fights at 160. The fact that he wants it at 150, maybe he knows it might be a little bit tougher getting down to 150.

SPEAKER_01 4:07

I I I think it's I think it might be a struggle for him. You know, I think it's um, I think I'm kind of catching them really at the right time. I don't know if you saw my interviews, but I feel like it's a this an Allie Hooper guy. Like it's I just feel like it's it's all made for me, you know, besides all the other stuff going on, the business side of things, and we can talk about that later, but I just feel like fight-wise, it's all set up for me.

SPEAKER_00 4:33

Now, you had the fight with Devin Haney, tough fight for anybody because of his style. Then you had the fight with Catarall, uh, which was a tough fight. And I know after the Catarall fight, a lot of times fighters speak from emotion, the heat of the moment. You were almost talking like, this is it, time to call it a day. I've made a lot of money. It's it's time to pass it up, and then yeah later you come back and have a hell of a war. What changed during that time period, or was it once you got home, you had time to reflect, and you were like, that was just some rash statements. I still got a lot more left in the tank.

SPEAKER_01 5:06

Yeah, that's the thing. I mean, you always the thing is you you never want to listen to a fighter, you know, after the after uh, you know, a win or a loss winning in the ring because you know it's you you you're only going off the emotion at the time. So um, with that being said, yeah, I was just I was just like talking. I was thinking about all kinds of stuff, man. I was thinking about retirement, I was thinking about doing bare knuckle, MMA. I didn't know what I wanted to do, you know, because I was kind of like frustrated with a lot of things. But I went back and I thought about like, man, I got so much left in the gas tank. I could do so many things. Like, why would I retire? You know, I'm getting better. So I for me, I just, well, with the specifically with the Catarol fight, really, I was winning the fight easily. Like just with a jab, I was winning off my movement, and then I hurt my ankle, and then I was just stuck, you know. So then I just thought about like, man, like it just kind of frustrated me for a little while. But then I got back in the gym, I got back to doing what I love, and I was like, nah, I'm gonna keep doing this. And then I changed things up. I I kind of made the move out here. I started training in Vegas, and it made everything, it made like a big difference for me.

SPEAKER_00 6:05

So yeah. And speaking, you mentioned bare knuckle, there were rumblings about that, obviously, out there. Was there any substantive talks? Did they ever reach out to you? You ever talk to them where they were like, why don't you try this? Because they're signing up a lot of boxers lately.

SPEAKER_01 6:20

Yeah, they all sign a lot. I mean, the thing is, so I have a uh a connection with them because of my friend Austin Trout. Austin Trout was a champion, former champion and stuff like that, and he's doing Ben Knuckle, he's a champion in Ben Knuckles. So I was like, man, I want to honestly, I really want to do it, you know, but the boxing just pays more. You know, it's hard to get away from boxing because boxing pays more. Boxing pays more than Ben Knuckle, boxing pays more than MMA. So it's kind of hard to get away from the boxing um aspect of things. But it's something I did want to do and maybe still might do way later down in down the line. But um now it's like, nah, I still have a lot in the tank for boxing.

SPEAKER_00 6:57

And look at the opportunity you got. You fought on a lot of platforms in your career. Now you're fighting on Netflix. Right? Yeah. In a stadium fight.

SPEAKER_01 7:06

Real big opportunity. I mean, one thing I always want to tell every up-and-coming fighter is like, if you stay in the gym, opportunities will just find you. You know, so I came out here, I came to Vegas, you know. For me, I'm based in, I'm from New Orleans, I'm based in Texas, I'm based in Houston, but I came out here just to train. You know, I didn't have no reason to train, I didn't have no, well, maybe I was supposed to, they was talking about like me and Barboza wasn't gonna fight on March 14th, which just happened. And then, you know, I never got the contract. Yeah, then Kenny Sims got the contract for that. So I just stayed in the gym. I stayed training, and then they said something about like a Frank Morton fight, and it was like on two, three weeks' notice. So of course I didn't do that. And then this opportunity came and it was like, man, it was it's such a big opportunity to uh you just can't, you know, you you can't pass it up. And I that's why I say it was just like a it's like an alley hoop from God because I've been in the gym, you know. Like it's not like if I would have, the thing is, you know, I'm from New Orleans, so we had Mardi Gras. And if I would have gone to Maddi Gras, then I couldn't take the fight because they literally called me on a six-week notice. But maybe they thought that I was in the gym on six weeks, but I've been in the gym already, you know, for two months already. I've been in the gym training. So that's why I like when they called me, it was like, it's a no-brainer. Yes, we gotta do it.

SPEAKER_00 8:16

Now, did you uh watch Connor's last two fights when he was at 160? I know some people have said looked impressive, moved up two weights, and other people have said on the other side of the coin, Eubank was a dead man at the weight.

SPEAKER_01 8:30

I I mean, I I'm not I didn't I I watched it, but I didn't watch it like that. I watched it like as a fan, you know. I mean, for me, like I keep saying, kind of okay fighter. You know, I think that for the second fight for sure, like, yeah, Eubank was a dead man for sure. You you you put a rehydration clause on. That's why they didn't want to do it for me. You know, I asked them about the reh. I said, what's the weight gonna be? And then I asked about a rehydration clause, and of course he said no for everything. So, I mean, I didn't really watch it like that. I mean, but when sometimes we in the gym, my coach was just he'll put it on the TV.

SPEAKER_00 9:02

But as a even as a fan, what did you think? Did you think it was more of Eubank at the weight, or was it more of how good Connor did in the fight as far as the last one?

SPEAKER_01 9:14

Kind of both. I think that Connor, um, I think Connor made his adjustments from the first fight. But at the same time, I do feel like Eubank was dead because of the weight. You know, like you, you trying to, it's it's hard to restrict someone um of the weight, you know, the second day and all this. It's hard to restrict somebody from that. The the weight does play a big, big difference. So I think that, you know, Connor did, he did, he did better than the first time, but at the same time, Chris Eubank was he was weight drained.

SPEAKER_00 9:40

Now I know you've mentioned in an interview that you said Connor is an okay fighter, that he might be getting a little bit more hype in terms of his abilities than the next guy because of the legacy that his father had left, and he has the Ben name. Yeah, I that's what I think.

SPEAKER_01 9:57

So I mean, I'm I'm not a hater. I you know, uh for me, I'm all about the fighter getting as much money as they can. But I definitely feel like, you know, Connor is getting big paychecks because of his, you know, the legacy his father left. Which is, listen, if my head was that too, then why wouldn't I do it? You know, you're supposed to do that type of stuff. So for me, like, you know, it's all good. Like I said, I'm not a hater. You know, congrats to Connor getting, you know, getting his money. Um, and it's all good for him.

SPEAKER_00 10:25

Now, depending on how he comes at you, because he seems to be a very aggressive fighter, and you're you sometimes fight pretty aggressive yourself. Is this a fight where because he went up that high, you may have to look at a different strategy and utilize more of your boxing skills because you you're also a capable boxer. Or if he wants to bang, we could, like you in your last fight, we could bang a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 10:48

I feel like we could we can go both ways. We could do either one. We could bang it all and I do feel like I'm gonna be the bigger, stronger man, you know, like because he fought at 160, now he's coming down to 150. That is gonna, I I feel like that's gonna play a big part. But even if even if it doesn't, I feel like I'll be ready for anything. You know, like I'm just um sparring has been going great. I spar with Sean Porter today, and Sean Porter kind of has the same style, but it's way bigger than Connor Ben, way stronger, way more experienced. So if I'm doing what I and I'm not gonna say what I'm doing is sparring, but if I'm doing that, I shouldn't have no issue with Connor Ben.

SPEAKER_00 11:21

You know, I talked to a recent world champion at Welterwaite and asked him for his thoughts about your fight, and he actually told me, he said, I think Regis will actually do better at this weight. It'll be better for him because he's a puncher. And he he believes that the size will do well for you to go up as opposed to a guy who couldn't punch at 140, now he's gonna go to 150. Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 11:47

And I I feel the same way. You know, I feel like this extra weight is definitely gonna do me a lot of justice. It's gonna make me, it's gonna make me just just stronger all the way. You know, um somebody I did talk to was Terrence Crawford. I said, man, like, how did you take those punches from Canelo? You know, like, you know, you fought at, and he said, really, it's the weight, you know. Like we we in a gym and we spot these big guys and nothing happens. Like same thing with me. I, you know, Sean hit me with big old punches, nothing happens. You know, but then sometimes you fight and then you know you might get wobbled or something like that because, you know, your body isn't big enough. It's not big enough to take those punches. So that's the same thing Crawford told me, you know, he only got hurt one time from Gamboa, and that was at 135, because he was just too small. You know, so you know, now you can like like I said, well, when he fought Canelo, um, nothing hurt him. You know, he fought Canelo and it just seemed like nothing hurt him. And it was that's what he said. He was like, because I'm I put the size on, and I feel like the same thing with me. I should have really, I should have been did it a long time ago, to be honest. Um, my goal was to be a three-time 140-pound champion because it's never been done. But now I see why it's never been done because you don't want to be so small. You don't want to be that small. I'm a grown man, I'm 37. Why would I want to be 140 pounds? You know, that's with this frame. It's it's crazy, you know. So um I I always I did always want to go to 147 since really since I turned professional because I I feel like historically, that was always some of the best divisions. You know, you talk about like Ray Lennon and Hagler, what not Hagler, Ray Lennon and Tommy Hearns and Duran, and you know, all these great Jure Robertson, all these great champions, they thought that that one just that 47 limit is just like it's mid, 147 is mid between everything, you know, right in the middle of the heavyweight and the smallest, it's right in the middle. So um I always wanted to do it, but for me, it was just about the right timing. And I should have really, I should have done it a long time ago. I really should have. After I became a two-time world champion, I should have moved up to 147, but I was kind of hard-headed. And, you know, really after I did that, after I beat Zapedo for the belt the the second time, um, yeah, after I beat him for the belt the second time, then they I was the hottest free agent. I was a I was a world champion and I was a free agent. So at the time I was the hottest free agent. So everybody was coming at me with all this money. So it was like I just, you know, I just stayed at 140.

SPEAKER_00 14:04

And 147's traditionally, at least the last few decades, has been the money weight. Right. You had Delahoy and Trinidad there. Then after them, you had Mayweather and Pacquiao there. Now you have Ryan, Haney, Roley, Teo, you. Everywhere.

SPEAKER_01 14:19

Everybody's at wealth away. Everywhere. Yeah, it's all that's why I say historically, 147 has just been that division. I always just love, for me, I just love that division since I feel like that probably is the maybe I it might be get a lot of slack from this, but maybe the best division in boxing. Historically, I just love the 47 because you have you have the speed and the power, they all mix. It's it's literally 147 is right in the middle between everything, I feel. You know, so I always love 147. That's that was my plan to go up anyway. So for me, I always I I've been lifting, I've been training, I've been trying to, you know, put on masks for a while anyway. So, like I said, when they called me, it was a no-brainer. And when you spoke to Crawford, was that before or after this fight got made? No, it was way before. I didn't even know. I didn't know I didn't know nothing about the fight. Like, they only called me a few weeks ago with this fight. For me, I I hit him up months ago. And I said, man, one of my friends, he told me, man, you need to talk to Crawford. Like, see how he took those punches from Canelo. Because I mean, he went up two divisions and beat Canelo. And Canelo is a big puncher. You know, Canelo is not just uh anybody, he's a big puncher, and Crawford took those punches. So he was like, man, you need to hit up Crawford and see um, see how he took those punches. And that's why I did, and he told me, man, it was just really, I went up. I went up, I went up in weight, and I have my weight on me, and I felt good. And that's why I feel like the same thing with me. I'm I feel way better right now.

SPEAKER_00 15:38

So basically, you had that convo with with Crawford before, and it sort of like told you in your head, I could do this, don't pay as much attention to the weight, pay attention to the guy I'm fighting on the other side. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 15:50

Yeah, it's really about the, I mean, you ain't gotta worry about the weight and stuff like that. And for me, like I'm going up, I feel like I'll be stronger and he's coming down, he's gonna be weaker. That's that's really how I see it. And because you have to realize, like, with me and Connor Ben, we're the same, right? Connor Ben actually fought him on undercourt in 2019. So me and Connor Ben is the same size. So all he could be is a little wider. He's not gonna be wider than Sean Porter. I just I I I know that. You know, I see him. I mean, you can people send me clips and stuff like I see him already. You know, he's not gonna be, he's not a big guy. So I don't see where the advantages are gonna come. I don't see where the power is gonna come from, I don't see none of that stuff.

SPEAKER_00 16:27

Now you had mentioned what your goal was gonna be at 140 to win the belt three times. What is your current goal now? Is it about big fights, getting a belt at 47, or make as much money as I can, or a little bit of everything? It's kind of a little bit of everything.

SPEAKER_01 16:42

You know, for me, I really want to take things one fight at a time. You know, I I do. I feel like I want to take things one fight at a time. Um, whatever comes after this, I know I'm I know I'm gonna be kind of in no matter what. You know, and then after that, we'll see what happens. Maybe something that um 147 opens up for me, and I don't know. We'll we'll just see. I feel like I'll just be one of the biggest names, and I can kind of dictate and say what I want, really.

SPEAKER_00 17:08

You know, even before you guys get in the ring, people are obviously you read the headlines out there, people are already talking Connor and Ryan, Connor and Rolly. You win this fight. Should you be guaranteed one of those fights?

SPEAKER_01 17:23

Um, it's boxing, nothing's never guaranteed, but yeah, for sure. I definitely feel like, yeah, give me. I feel like I'm gonna just say what I'm gonna get what I want. I'm gonna say what I want, and that's how I am. Like people, people don't know sometimes they feel like I'm hard to deal with because I I know what I want. I feel like I respect myself and I know what I want. So I'll say what I want. If you don't give it to me, then whatever. So that's you know, I'll I'll figure that out after this.

SPEAKER_00 17:46

Now I don't know if anyone's asked you this yet, but sometimes I know it's a given. Is there a rematch clause? Not that not on my end, no.

SPEAKER_01 17:54

Oh, so it's on the other side. I don't know. I now I don't have a rematch clause. I didn't read the I didn't see the contract say there's a rematch clause, so I don't think so.

SPEAKER_00 18:01

Oh, I was gonna say, because you know, sometimes like uh Ubank fight, Eubank won, but they had to do it again. Right. Mm-hmm. Yeah, no, not in this fight, no rematch clause. Nope. So you're you're uh training with Kay Caroma. Yes. Um what is he teaching you about yourself that maybe you didn't know beforehand that's making you a better fighter?

SPEAKER_01 18:26

The main things, so the main things that I need to work on, of course, I mean, and I I'm not really telling secrets. Um, you know, I work on my footwork, bend my legs, keep my hands up. That's the main things I need to work on, you know. So he's been the thing is, so my last trainer in Texas, they would just let me do what I want, you know. But K, every minute he's on me about something. You know, if I drop my right hand, drop my left hand a little bit, pick it up, pick it up, bend your legs always, you know, like move your feet, do that type of stuff. He's they they like really stay on me all the time instead of like just kind of letting me, you know, like like so when I used to spawn in Texas, they would, you know, they might say something in the first round, and then after that, like, don't really say nothing. But Kay will remind me all the time, and then really like slowing a lot of things down. Sometimes I might be like a little antsy and too speedy, and he would make me like slow things down, but just really working on the basics because like for me, I when I started boxing, I started just because I'm a fighter. I'm just I I fought, I started fighting on the streak. That's it. And I learned the other way. I learned the other way around. I learned opposite, I learned hands before feet. So now I'm working on more of my feet. That's why people say I have sloppy footwork, but now I've been working on my feet a lot more than anything. So that's kind of what Kay is doing. And Kay came from a the like the big amateur pedigree with all those amateur guys. So it's it's like a perfect match because that's what I need. I need that um fundamental teaching.

SPEAKER_00 19:55

So Kay identified what was wrong right from the start and said, before we work on more power, more this, let's fix some of the gaps.

SPEAKER_01 20:05

Exactly. Yeah, fix, I mean, we all have gaps and stuff like that, but I know with me, like I said, I started, I started the other side around. I I started with hands and just fighting on the street instead of my footwork from the ground up. So that's what that's kind of what I need to work on.

SPEAKER_00 20:19

Now I know for this fight, Connor Ben's known sometimes for having these elaborate ring entrances. And I know you could get a little elaborate yourself with how you come to the ring. Right. Do you already have, I'm not saying reveal anything, right? Something up your sleeve, or you've already thought out, you know what I think I'm gonna do.

SPEAKER_01 20:36

We're thinking about stuff. We're thinking about some things. I'm not gonna say we got everything planned, but we think we definitely thinking about some things for sure. It's gonna be a it'll be a show. It'll definitely be a show. So from this point forward, you're a wealther weight, no matter what. I'm not going back down to 140 like that. I will I I feel like I'll never go back to one down to 140. Man, I went to the um I went to the Pitbull and Lamont Roach fight, and I just seen, man, how small those guys are. And it's like, I said, I'll never, and they fought at 140. I said, man, I'll never fight that again. You know, actually I trained at knuckleheads in Pitbull. That's why he he comes and trains when he's here. And I saw Pitbull, man, I'm like, that's no way I can be that small again, you know. So nah, I'm I'm I'll never, you'll they'll never see me at 140 again.

SPEAKER_00 21:21

Depending on how well you do at 150, does it give you some food for thought as far as 54? I mean, you got some big names and. No, no, I won't go to 47.

SPEAKER_01 21:30

I told you I like 47. That's the division I like more than anything. 54, of course not. Nah, nah, nah. I mean, you gotta realize, man, these guys at 54 are probably walking around like 180 and stuff. They're like 6'2 and stuff like walking around. These guys are like huge, you know. So no, I definitely won't go to 54. No.

SPEAKER_00 21:46

Yeah, there's definitely like I I don't think I've met Jeron up up close, but I've met Virgil a few times up close. And he's one of those guys I look at and I'm like, how the hell is that guy making 54?

SPEAKER_01 21:57

These guys are big, they're strong. I'm real cool with Charlo. Twins, Jamel and Jamal. Jamel is huge. Jamel, I mean, I spoke with him a bunch of times. Jamel hits really hard. So nah, 54, absolutely not. Unless I can put on way more size. But naturally, my my size, I'm gonna be like this size. I might get a little wider, but not as wide as to be at 154.

SPEAKER_00 22:16

Now, you got this fight coming up. We're still early in the year. I know you like to take things one fight at a time, but I know you also probably want to be a lot more active. How do you envision 2026 for you? Uh at least two to three fights? Is that like the goal in your head? Like, you know, I want to be very active. No, you know, especially at your age, you you can't do any more of the one fight a year type of thing and and keep up your skills. Right.

SPEAKER_01 22:46

Um like I said, man, after I feel like after this fight, like it all depends on like what they gonna open up for me. You know, what's the doors they go open up? You know, I I would after this, I know I'll be a household name. I want one of the belts. That's it. For me, it'll be no sense in because I train really hard. Out here, I really train really hard. So I don't want to do all that training for a nothing type of fight. Give me something that would be big. That's what I would want. You know, so um, I don't know how active I'll be. I mean, we we say we want to be as active, but it's boxing. You know, we only can take what they give us. So, you know, with that, I'll see what's going on.

SPEAKER_00 23:23

Is there any preference in your head? Because you've already been in the ring with Haney. Uh, but there's a lot of big names. There's Ryan, there's Rolly, uh Teo would still be a big fight. Uh maybe Shakur might be there by then. You know, he's he's kind of flirting with maybe going to 47 as well. Right. Is there like a guy in your head where you're like, that would be a great fight for me?

SPEAKER_01 23:46

And for me, any of the guys, what is for me, I'm I'm I'm at the the time um now. I just it's it's all about belts and money. That's it. So any of those guys with a belt, that's gonna bring the most money. That's all. And uh I off the top, I mean, you got Haney rematch, cool, you got Ryan, you got Roley. Um, that's the guys that bring in, I feel like bring in the most value. So that's for me, that's what I would want.

SPEAKER_00 24:11

Now you mentioned that prior to this opportunity coming up, the possibility was Barboza. Uh, was there anything else on the horizon that you were seeing, or you were just seeing whichever offer that comes to the game?

SPEAKER_01 24:26

For me, I just I stayed in the gym. I stayed training, and I feel like I told my manager, look, I'm gonna I'm I'm in Vegas. I'm gonna train. You know, you tell me what's going on, that's what it's gonna be. But I'm just gonna I'm gonna stay out here and I'm gonna train. And then whenever something happens, it happens. So I came out here really originally. I came out here just to get away so I can train. Then I heard about the Barboza thing. And then actually, Barboza texted me on Instagram. He said, You probably need to start getting ready. We gotta probably fight. And but I never heard nothing. You know, with my manager, I never heard nothing. They said it's probably not gonna happen. So I'm like, I don't know what's going on, but I'm gonna stay in the gym, I'm gonna keep training. And then I know they offered like a Frank Martin fight, um, but it was like on three weeks' notice. It was here. I was like, you know, and he done have nothing I want, no money. Cool. I didn't really want that. And um, but then they called me for this. And I I didn't know what for me, after the Frank Martin fight, after that was offered, I didn't know what they was gonna offer me. I didn't, I didn't know. Um, but I just stayed in the gym and and stayed ready, and I feel like something was gonna happen and like look what happened. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 25:25

This is probably one of the first times in your career where you're a heavy underdog. Is that taking a little weight off your shoulders at all where you're not even thinking about I gotta live up to some expectations that people can.

SPEAKER_01 25:36

I mean, Connor gonna have all that on him, you know. Connor gotta fight me. I'm not worried about like I know, bruh. I know I can be Connor Ben. Like Connor Ben come, man. Like Connor Ben, like listen, Connor Ben is okay. That's why I say I feel like it's an alley oop from God because like I've been in the gym already. It's not like I'm coming off the street. I've been in the gym already. I've been on the weights, I've been getting stronger, I've been sparring, all that type of stuff. I'm going up, I'm getting stronger. He has he has to come down. He fought at 160 two of his on previous fights. So, you know, he's not gonna be used to that. You know, you gotta drop 10 more pounds. You're not gonna be used to that. And I know Khan, one thing I know about Khan, he likes to hit the weights. It might be a little hard for him to even get the weight off. Um, but I forgot your question. I forgot, I'm just going off.

SPEAKER_00 26:19

Well, no, if if if the not as much pressure as far as I don't feel like I got no pressure on me.

SPEAKER_01 26:25

Yeah, I don't feel like I don't have no pressure on me. Stuff that the pressure gonna be on him. Like it's he the I'm the heavy underdog, right? So like the pressure gonna be all on him. He's supposed to go out there and try, you know, he's supposed to beat me. He not, but he's supposed to go out there and and and they think he's gonna go out there and destroy me and all that stuff. Watch. I'm just like watching see, watch and see what's gonna happen. And it's not gonna happen. Like he like I've been preparing. The thing is, we come out here in Vegas and prepare with KK do not play.

SPEAKER_00 26:52

Is there anything in the back of your head that says they think they're catching me at the right time? I'm catching him at the right time.

SPEAKER_01 26:57

That's why I keep telling. It's an alley hoop from God for real. Like they they think they're catching, they really outdo what they thinking. They caught me at the the perfect moment. I've been in the gym. When they called me, I was already in the gym already. I've been I've been in the gym for two months when they even called me. So it's like, you know, y'all think y'all about to catch me off guard. Like, and for me, that's why I always say with all the up-and-coming fighters, man, stay in the gym. Like, I could have, I talk from New Orleans, so they had Mardi Gras. I could have gone to Mardi Gras, but if I if I would have gone to Mardi Gras, then I wouldn't, I could have, I really couldn't even take the fight. I'd be like, nah, I can't fight. I'm not even in the gym. But I was in the gym, no, I sacrificed, I didn't go to Mardi Gras. I haven't seen my kids, none of that stuff. But I just been in the gym. I did feel like something big was gonna happen, and look what happened. Like, look what a look at the call that I got. Look at God, basically. That's what happened.

SPEAKER_00 27:45

And that's a wrap for this episode of the Mr. Versace podcast. I want to thank Regis for joining me today. Catch him in action, April 11th, live and exclusive on Netflix, when he takes on British superstar Connor Ben on the Big Fury versus Machmadoff undercard at Tottenham Stadium in London.