Oscar Duarte faces a major setback as headliner Regis Prograis has pulled out of their scheduled bout at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, on February 15th. Prograis has reportedly suffered a shoulder injury, throwing the entire matchup into uncertainty.
According to reports from The Ring, the 36-year-old former two-time 140-lb champion Prograis has been struggling emotionally lately, especially since losing his last two fights and remaining winless since a split decision against Danielito Zorrilla in June 2023. Given his recent form, the injury, while unfortunate, isn’t entirely unexpected.
Golden Boy now faces the challenge of finding a quick replacement to step into the headliner role. One option on the table is to promote the co-feature between super middleweights Darius Fulghum and Winfred Harris to the main event.
This change of course would allow Duarte to build momentum for a future potential title shot. However, any last-minute opponent would give Duarte very little time to adjust his preparation.
Duarte, 29, is coming off a rebound from an eighth-round knockout loss to Ryan Garcia in December 2023, followed by wins over Joseph Diaz and Botirzhon Akhmedov. So now, with his career rebuilding in full swing, the key for Golden Boy is to secure an opponent who can match Duarte’s level without compromising his progress.
Let’s see who they find.
Image Credit: ProBox TV