The bout between two former champions Regis Prograis and Joseph “JoJo” Diaz is confirmed, along with other matchups, for the undercard of Oscar Duarte vs Kenneth Sims Jr. The event takes place at Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago, IL on August 2. The pair battle it out in a 10-rounder at super lightweight.
Former two-time 140-pound champion Prograis (29-3, 24 KOs) suffered his second straight defeat last October, dropping a unanimous decision to Jack Catterall. Before that, the 36-year-old New Orleans southpaw lost his WBC belt also by UD against Devin Haney in late 2023.
Regis Prograis was scheduled to face Duarte in February in Anaheim, CA, but the fight fell through after Duarte withdrew due to injury.
Former 135-pound champion “JoJo” Diaz Jr. (34-7-1, 15 KOs) of South El Monte, CA targets his second straight victory. The 32-year-old southpaw rebounded from three defeats in a row in June, earning a unanimous decision over Jorge Luis Valencia Diaz.
Also confirmed for the Duarte vs Sims undercard is a 10-round cruiserweight bout between Tristan Kalkreuth (15-1, 10 KOs) of Carrollton, TX and Kareem Hackett (12-1, 6 KOs) of Canada.
U.S. Olympian Joshua Edwards (3-0, 3 KOs) of Houston, TX meets Cayman Audie (4-1, 2 KOs) of Mora, MN in a six-rounder at heavyweight.
Plus, Yair Benjamin Gallardo-Lozano (9-0, 8 KOs) of Mexico faces Quinton Rankin (21-9-2, 16 KOs) of Charlotte, NC in an eight-rounder at light heavyweight.
Among the prelims, Chicago’s Deontae Pettigrew (14-0, 10 KOs) and Skylar Lacy (8-1-2, 6 KOs) of Indianapolis, IN go head-to-head in an eight-rounder at heavyweight.
Additionally, super bantamweight Gael Cabrera (8-0, 5 KOs) of Mexico and Maryland’s lightweight Mehki Phillips (6-0, 6 KOs) are scheduled to make their ring appearances in the eight- and six-round matchups, respectively. Their opponents and the finalized fight card are expected to be confirmed shortly.
In the main event, Mexico’s Oscar Duarte (29-2-1, 23 KOs) takes on Chicago native Kenneth Sims Jr (22-2-1, 8 KOs). The two fighters square off in a 12-rounder at super lightweight.