Video: Prograis back home for title fight next month at SKC

Five years after a pair of fights at Lakefront Arena, New Orleans native Regis Prograis is back home again.

This time, the WBC’s 140-pound champion is taking the action downtown – to Smoothie King Center for a June 17 matchup against Danuelito Zorritta of Puerto Rico.

Zorritta is a late injury replacement, and Prograis admitted Thursday during a news conference at Milne Rec Center, where he is training for the fight, that he doesn’t know much yet about his new opponent.

“I just gotta go out there and do me,” Prograis said. “I’ve just gotta go out there and show my skills.

“Obviously, I’m going to watch him a little bit, but not too much.”

Fighting on the Lakefront “was nice,” Prograis said. “But Smoothie King (Center), that’s just on a whole different level. I’m ecstatic.

“I did have a dream that one day, I was going to fight at the Superdome. This is a step towards that.”

Prograis said in his new deal with Matchroom, he has some control of the undercard, which will include several local fighters, including Jeremy “Zereaux” Hill.

“It’s doesn’t make sense to have real big-time boxing in New Orleans without putting New Orleans fighters on (the card),” Prograis said.

This might even be an entrée to Prograis’ future.

“I don’t know if I want to be a promoter per se,” he said, “but I do want to have the local fighters (involved).”

Matchroom told Prograis if next month’s card is successful, they will return.

“This used to be a boxing town a long time ago,” he said. “If we can do real good at the gate and just have a show like it’s supposed to be, there should be fight cards here way more often.”