Regis Prograis Faces Viktor Postol For WBC 140lb Title Mar 9th Showtime

Published by Shawn C.

NEW YORK (Feb. 6, 2018) – Undefeated 140-pound contender Regis Prograis
and former world champion Viktor Postol will face off for the vacant WBC
Super Lightweight World Championship on Friday, March 9 in the 12-round
main event of SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION live on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m.
ET/PT from Deadwood Mountain Grand in Deadwood, South Dakota.

Prograis (20-0, 17 KOs), of Houston by way of New Orleans, has scored
knockouts in 13 of his last 14 fights and is a rising star in the wide-open
140-pound division. The aggressive-minded southpaw will face the toughest
test of his career in Postol, a former WBC Super Lightweight World Champion
with only one loss on his record.

In the 12-round co-feature, undefeated 140-pound contenders Ivan Baranchyk
(17-0, 10 KOs) and Anthony Yigit (21-0-1, 7 KOs) will square off in a
Junior Welterweight World Title Eliminator to become the mandatory
challenger for IBF champion Sergey Lipinets. Lipinets will defend his belt
the following day, March 10, on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® against
undefeated three-division champion Mikey Garcia.

The event is presented by DiBella Entertainment, in association with Elite
Boxing, Fight Promotions Inc., Holden Productions and Sauerland Promotions.
Tickets, priced at $200, $80 and $60, go on sale Friday, Feb. 9, and can be
purchased on Ticketmaster.com or by calling (877) 907-4726.

“I feel I’m one of the best junior welterweights in the world and this is
my chance to display my belief in myself,” Prograis said. “I’m very excited
to be fighting Viktor Postol – he’s a very experienced fighter that
previously held the WBC world title. I want to become a world champion this
year, and I know Viktor Postol wants to reclaim his title, but we have to
go through each other first. This is a great fight for boxing because you
have two hungry fighters. It’s a can’t-miss fight.”

“My goal is to become a world champion again and I know a win over Regis
Prograis will bring me one step closer,” Postol said. “I have been training
hard for the past couple of months and I’m very excited for the opportunity
to face Prograis on March 9.”

“My next fight is very important for my career and I am preparing for it
very seriously,” Baranchyk said. “A few months ago, I moved to Miami, Fla.,
where I am now being trained by Pedro Diaz. I have strict discipline for
everything in my training. I’m working on improving my skills, tactics for
the fight, my skill set and physical strength. I’m also maintaining a much
stricter diet and eating very healthy. I want every fighter to know if I am
in the boxing ring you will never have an easy fight with me.”

“My dream is to become a world champion and I need to defeat Baranchyk to
continue on my path,” Yigit said. “This will be my first time fighting in
the United States but I’m ready to show the boxing fans that I have what it
takes to become a world champion. From Stockholm, Sweden to Deadwood, South
Dakota, onward my journey continues.”

“Two excellent super lightweight matchups highlight this SHOWTIME BOXING:
SPECIAL EDITION on March 9. At the Deadwood Mountain Grand in South Dakota,
the rising young gun will duel the seasoned ex-champion,” said Lou DiBella,
President of DiBella Entertainment. “Regis ‘Rougarou’ Prograis can earn a
world championship by beating his toughest foe, the respected and
formidable Viktor Postol, with the interim WBC title at stake. Undefeated
puncher Ivan Baranchyk is truly ‘The Beast’ in the ring and is determined
to blaze a path toward a world title shot in his IBF eliminator, taking on
Sweden’s European Champion, former Olympian, Anthony ‘Can You Dig It?’
Yigit.”

“Prograis and Baranchyk have appeared a combined nine times on *ShoBox: The
New Generation* and it’s fulfilling to see their development from talented
prospects to legitimate contenders,” said Gordon Hall, *ShoBox* Executive
Producer and SVP Production, SHOWTIME Sports. “We view this progression as
a validation for the *ShoBox* series, and we’re thrilled to see their hard
work pay off with these potentially career-changing opportunities. These
are two tough fights that will determine who is ready to take the next step
in this exciting division.”

“We are thrilled that DiBella Entertainment is bringing big time boxing
back to South Dakota,” said Susan Kightlinger, General Manager at Deadwood
Mountain Grand. “Deadwood is renowned for its rough and tumble past and
professional boxing fits that mold perfectly. It’s an amazing card, great
fighters and SHOWTIME is the ultimate name in boxing. It’s a perfect fit!”

A consensus top-10 ranked fighter at 140 pounds, the 29-year-old Prograis
has beaten three previously undefeated fighters on the SHOWTIME
developmental series *ShoBox: The New Generation*. Prograis stamped his
arrival as a legitimate contender in the 140-pound division on June 9 scoring
four knockdowns of previously undefeated Joel Diaz Jr., en route to a
second-round TKO. Following the fight, Prograis called out the top players
in the 140-pound division, including Terence Crawford and Adrien Broner,
and on March 9, he’ll get his first chance to prove he’s ready to face the
division’s elite.
Prograis’ nickname “Rougarou” originates from Louisiana folklore and is
defined as a werewolf-like creature. Originally from New Orleans, Prograis
relocated to Houston following Hurricane Katrina.

Postol won the vacant WBC 140-pound World Championship with a stunning and
dominating 10th round knockout of Lucas Matthysse in 2015. The 34-year-old
Ukrainian attempted to unify the division in his first defense, losing via
unanimous decision to then-WBO champion Terence Crawford in 2016. He has
since bounced back with a win over previously unbeaten Jamshidbek
Najmiddinov last September in his native Ukraine. A win would move him one
step closer to earning back the coveted WBC title he lost.

The co-feature also pits two of the top prospects in the 140-pound
division, each with an opportunity to score the biggest win of their
respective careers.

The aggressive-minded Baranchyk is a former amateur standout that packs
power in both hands. The 25-year-old native of Belarus is currently ranked
No. 4 in the IBF at 140 pounds and owns seven wins over previously
undefeated fighters. He’s gone the 10-round distance three times and is
coming off an eight-round unanimous decision over then-undefeated Keenan
Smith last July on *ShoBox* in his adopted hometown of Miami, Okla.

The 26-year-old Yigit competed in the 2012 Olympics for Sweden, advancing
to the second round before losing a very narrow decision to eventual Silver
Medalist Denys Berinchyk. The Stockholm native has tallied 21 victories in
just four years following the Olympics while campaigning in Europe. The
southpaw will make his U.S. debut against Baranchyk as he looks to prove
he’s ready to contend on the world stage.

The doors open and first bout begins at 5:30 p.m. More information on the
Deadwood Mountain Grand can be found on their website at
www.DeadwoodMountainGrand.com

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